The City and the Ghost
by DarkAngelTorchic
Summary: The fabulously dysfunctional adventures of Delaney Caldwell have been rebooted in The City and the Ghost: Redux.
1. 01: Write What You Know

**Chapter 01: Write What You Know**

There were lights.

She knew there were. An inkling of them pierced through her eyelids and she could see them faintly even with her eyes closed. How bright they were, she'd never know. She just couldn't open her eyes, even though, Arceus be damned, she was trying.

Or maybe she was just hoping there was light. Hoping she wasn't in the dark. Hoping that she would see light again, eventually.

She wanted to see Marvel, wanted to know how he was doing. She wanted to make sure the rest of her pokemon were doing okay, that Cyrus hadn't gotten to them as well.

And where in the hell was she? What had just happened? The last thing she remembered was that maniacal smile as Marvel fell from the sky…

And then _his_ voice. Where did it come from? He hadn't been there before. "Delaney, you did it. You fucking did it. Now wake up." He paused. She could hear a raspiness in his voice, as if he were crying, or about to. _Him_ crying, and over little ol' Delaney. It was a novel concept, one she may have enjoyed back in the day, when things were still relatively innocent.

Why couldn't she open her eyes?

"Delaney, please wake up," he urged her, panic rising in his voice. "I can see your chest moving. I know you're alive. Please just open those eyes."

"Stop staring at her chest, pervert," she could hear Dax's higher-pitched voice say in disgust. If she could, she would smile. She could just imagine the looks they were giving each other. Dax was surely looking at him, utterly revolted and he was certainly rolling his eyes at Dax, if not burning a hole through him with his glare.

"Really, kid? You think now's the time?" he said, his tone turning icy. "All that matters right now is that she's okay. I don't know how to get her to wake up."

"Lucas is on his way," Dax said, more than likely oppressing the urge to ask him what the hell he was doing here. She could just imagine Dax's confused face- but now was not the time. "He's bringing the authorities with him. That guy Looker is eager to put Cyrus away for a long, long time. I just hope he thought to bring a doctor or something. Delaney's hurt pretty bad."

"I have to get out of here before they get here," he muttered. If there was any time to wake up, it was now. This was precisely the moment she had feared- the downfall of Team Galactic was the downfall of him as well. This was the part where he had to get far, far away.

But they knew this was going to happen. He had ruined her, she had ruined him.

But despite knowing this, she still was willing herself to open her fucking eyes, so that she could try to convince him to stay, or that maybe she should leave with him. She knew that was useless, though- she could never survive out there, cutoff from her father, her friends, her life. She had known from the beginning that this was temporary.

No matter how brightly the flame burned, eventually the wind would blow it out.

But damn it, the least she could do was open her eyes and tell him goodbye. Tell him to come back for her, or at least write her to let her know he was safe. Tell her whenever he moved on with his life, so she could do the same.

The hand holding Delaney's let go suddenly, and then she knew- this was it. This was her last chance to _just__fucking__open__her__eyes!_

But she was no closer to the light than she had been moments (seconds? Hours? How much time had past since she was laying there?) before. "I'm sorry," was all he could say. "I'll be thinking of you every day."

And then nobody spoke for what felt like years.

She knew Dax was still there, but even his chipper, energetic self had nothing to say. He didn't grab the hand that _he_ had left abandoned on the ground. He didn't take _his_ post at her side. He didn't even try to urge her awake. It was the quietest he had probably ever been in his life.

The next voice she heard was undeniably Looker's. "Whoa," was all he could say.

_What else was there to say?_

* * *

><p>When Delaney felt the light hitting her eyelids this time, she didn't have to fight them open. She would've rather had to battle to have to see her perfectly organized room in the late morning sun if she could have just opened her eyes that day, that day that had been approximately two hundred and two days ago. Though these dreams didn't ruin the entire upcoming day for her anymore, so she supposed some progress was still progress.<p>

Not good enough progress, though, in Delaney's book. There were very few possibilities for the upcoming day that wouldn't still leave her with a bitter taste in her mouth. It was unlikely that anybody would be by to visit her (and not like she had a myriad of friends who would want to), so her only option was to fill her day with meaningless tasks that served no purpose other than to direct her focus elsewhere. It had been the goal of everybody involved with her "recovery" (and Arceus, she hated when they called it that- it made her sound like she had a disease, or she was an alcoholic, or something along those lines) that Delaney do her best to try to forget the events of the Spear Pillar and just focus her day on other small things, so that maybe she could transition to a normal, Team Galactic-free life. It was kind of funny, actually, seeing as how she could barely remember the events of the Spear Pillar. It was all that led up to it that had left her jaded.

_Step one: go running around route 212 for an hour or so._

Pleased at having settled on a task for the remainder of the morning, Delaney hopped out of the bed, her feet hitting the plush pink carpet under her feet with a satisfying thump. She tossed the purple tank top and white cotton shorts she was wearing off to the side in a crumpled heap and fought the urge to pick them up. She had never liked the idea of anybody else cleaning her room, being a rather clean person by nature, but organizing (and reorganizing... and reorganizing again) her room always sent her off on cleaning fits, especially now that she was home from traveling, and some of the newer maids were complaining that they had nothing to do. She figured that they'd be glad for a break from cleaning the giant (and mostly empty) house, but apparently it had gotten to the point where Delaney was doing their jobs for them and they were worrying that the Caldwell family would render some of them useless and lay them off.

Blake would never do that, of course, and Delaney would never allow him to, but to assuage the younger maids' fears, Delaney once in a while left a small pile of clothing on her floor, or purposefully left a cup on her bedside table, just to give them two seconds of something to do. Annette in particular loved an excuse to go into Delaney's wardrobe to get to her laundry pile and Delaney was happy to oblige... sometimes.

Now that she had nowhere really to go, the only use of her wardrobe was the chest of drawers that held her pajamas, sweatpants and exercise clothes. Delaney wandered over to it and grabbed a black pair of sweatpants and a simple blue t-shirt out of the bottom drawer. She glanced briefly at the rows of expensive jeans, shirts and dresses, but there was really no point in putting them on unless she was having visitors, and by visitors, she meant anybody other than Dax, who was pretty much the sibling she never had. Sure, every once in a while, the somewhat vain blonde boy that she had met on her journeys, the boy who had become her closest friend, liked to remind Delaney that highly-ranked trainers should be doing more than just sulking around in sweatpants and _how__ long __has__ it __been __since __you've __battled__ with __your __pokemon?__ Too __long!_ At that point, Delaney would simply reply that she let them out every single day to exercise and that often, her infernape, Blitzkrieg, went running with her around route 212.

_But an hour's run isn't what you've spent months training for, Delaney. Your Pokemon should be fighting, and they should be training with the best, instead of sparring with random rich kids that come to see the garden._

Point one: Dax, though she would never tell him that he was right. Instead, she would tell him to shut up, and it was time to wander. The duo had made it a point to explore the wings of the elaborate Pokemon Mansion, the wings that nobody had been in but maids since the house had been purchased before Delaney was born. She was beginning to think her mother had been in some of them, though- once in a while, they'd find a forgotten vase with long dead roses, or daisy, in a corner on a small, dusty table.

'_Maybe __Annette __should __go __through __those__ rooms __instead __of__ worrying __about__ my __laundry,'_ Delaney thought wryly. She slipped the exercise clothes on, debating on whether she should take Blitzkrieg with her or not. She finally decided not to, but mentally promised the pokemon that maybe she would ride her bike up to Hearthrome and take a walk with Blitzkrieg around Amity Square. It was a rather fun time, considering that the main visitors of the park were snooty old city women with their bunearys and pachirisus who did a double take when Delaney walked by with her infernape, though of course, nobody said a word to her. Nobody would dare think of saying anything rude to Delaney Caldwell. Most walked on eggshells around her now, as if just waiting for her to snap. Most seemed to think that she had taken her loss to Cynthia a lot harder than she actually did (in actuality, she was quite grateful- Delaney had no desire to be Champion).

Delaney didn't even look at her shoe collection gathering dust at the other end of the room, instead opting to throw on the worn out sneakers lying beside her bed. She glanced in the mirror and frowned a little bit. Despite the relatively small effect that the dreams were having on her now (well, small compared to the nights she had spent over the first couple of months screaming and crying in her sleep), she still looked exhausted. Dark bags were even more noticeable on Delaney's pale face, gathering shadows below her wide violet eyes. She grabbed a comb from a vanity drawer and haphazardly ran it through her long pale hair. When she had been traveling and often in the sun, color had filled her cheeks and her platinum hair had gleamed in the bright light of the day. Now, though, despite how much time Delaney spent running around route 212, she just couldn't get that color back. She seemed as white as a sheet, from head to toe, every moment of every day.

She jogged casually down the main staircase, waving hello to Bridget and Ashlynn who were heading up, more than likely to check on her room. She couldn't help but think to herself that Annette would be disappointed that she hadn't gotten there first.

The petite blonde girl, though, the youngest of the Caldwell family's help, was at the foot of the stairs, waiting for her with a big smile on her face and a small, square box in her hands. Delaney made a mental note to clear her closet of things that she knew she would never wear again and give them to Annette. She had taken a liking to the girl, who had started working at the house soon after Delaney had ended her journey. "Miss Delaney!" she shouted eagerly, despite the fact that Delaney had told her hundreds of time that she could just call her Delaney. "You have a package!"

"Who's it from?" she asked, scrunching up her nose in confusion. It was more than likely Dax, sending her a scarf or a necklace or whatever from wherever he was at. Other than Dax, she couldn't imagine who would want to send her anything. She had been away from training for so long, and isolated from almost everyone, so it wasn't like she had a ton of friends or admirers just clamoring to give her presents. The days of receiving "thank you" flowers and condolence cards were long over.

"I don't know!" the young girl squealed. "It was just sitting on the porch when I went out to ask your father a question." Annette thrust the package in her hands as soon as Delaney reached the bottom step. Delaney chuckled to herself as she examined the package. Her name and address were printed carefully on the top, but other than that, nothing had been written. "Maybe it's from a secret admirer! How romantic!"

"I seriously doubt that," Delaney scoffed as she carefully opened the box, which had been loosely taped on one of the sides. It took her a moment to get enough of it off to be able to open the top, but once the box was open, she only had more questions.

Inside were a Pokeball and a note, folded over several times. But which to open first?

Delaney opted for the Pokeball, curiosity getting the best of her (though she was dying to know who had sent it, and hopefully the note said that). The idea that a savage beast such as a magmortar or a garchomp or whatever else (Delaney didn't even want to think of _whatever__else_ could be) with specific instructions to fry her as soon as it was released crossed her mind briefly. After all, Delaney was most definitely at the top of some shit lists.

Well, that was a risk she was going to have to take. She was just far too curious for her own good.

She hesitantly released whatever Pokemon was waiting for her, cringing a bit as a burst of white light was emitted from the ball. The light eventually got smaller though and eventually gave way to a small, blue Pokemon that Delaney had never seen before- and this was coming from a girl who had traveled all over the Sinnoh region, battling hundreds of trainers and seeing all there was to see. This would be a much easier task if grumpy old Professor Rowan had just given her a pokedex, but _nooooooo_. Delaney apparently didn't warrant one.

The Pokemon looked up at her, blinking in confusion. Though most of his body was teal, his head and arms were white. His feet, tail and ears were navy blue. Judging by the baby yellow shell that rested on his abdomen, he was more than likely a water Pokemon. At any rate, he was definitely young and definitely needed some care. Delaney and Annette looked at the little Pokemon, who was staring back at them with wide black eyes. "What is it?" Annette finally asked, her once excited voice a bit quiet. "And who sent it to you? Professor Rowan, maybe?"

Delaney shook her head, a few strands of her ponytail coming loose. "I don't think so. The professor would've had Lucas deliver it, and you know who Lucas is."

"Well, read the note, silly!" Annette squealed, regaining her peppy demeanor.

Delaney couldn't explain why, but her hands were shaking as she grabbed the yellow piece of paper from the bottom of the box. The edges of one of the side was ripped, as if the paper had been hurriedly torn from some random legal pad. She took her sweet time unfolding the note, though Annette looked like she just wanted to burst.

All of the sudden, she was afraid to find out who it was from.

When she finally finished unfolding the paper, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself, though she didn't know for what. Finally, she allowed herself to read the words on the page.

_It's an oshawott._

_I knew that would be your first question, because I knew you'd want to release the Pokemon first. He was given to me by Professor Aurea Juniper and when I first saw him, I thought of you. I'm hoping he'll convince you to listen to what I'm about to say._

Delaney's breath caught in her throat. Two hundred and two days without seeing _him_, hearing from _him_. Here he was. _Right__here._ The letters formed the words that her eyes were hungrily lapping up and her brain was trying (but failing) to digest- they were proof that he was alive, proof that he was free. Proof that she was still on his mind, just like he promised.

_I know you have questions. I hope one day I'll be answer them, but now is not the time for questions._

_You need to leave Sinnoh immediately. You aren't safe there._

_I can't tell you why. I can't tell you anything. Just trust me. Get out of Sinnoh as fast as you can. The time will come when you won't be able to. _

_Come to Unova. Find me._

_I hope to see you soon. A._

Delaney hadn't realized that Annette had left until she knelt down by Delaney with a glass of water. She also had realized that she had apparently fallen to the ground, as she was now sitting and leaning against the door frame. "That wasn't Professor Rowan, was it?" Annette asked in a hushed voice.

All Delaney could do was shake her head. She couldn't speak. She definitely couldn't even think.

_Come to Unova._

Her eyes wandered around the room, from Annette's worried expression to the still confused look on the oshawott's face to-

"Delaney, is everything okay?" her father asked, offering her a hand to help her off the floor. Delaney hadn't even realized she was on the floor. He was dressed in his navy suit, which meant that he was on his way to an important meeting. Now wasn't the time to tell him about the letter.

His eyes fell upon the small, very confused otter pokemon whose eyes were moving from person to person. "What is this? It's not from Sinnoh, is it?"

"No," she finally choked out. She cleared her throat. "He's from Unova. He's an oshawott."

"I'll take a good look at him when I get back. Crasher Wake and I are meeting to discuss the, uh, renovations to be made to one of the areas." Or the area where Team Galactic bombed, but you know, tomato, tomAHto. "I'll be back in a couple of hours." He paused, and took another look at his daughter. "Are you sure you're okay, Del?"

Not that she had answered before, but that was probably a good thing. She managed a weak smile for her father and cleared her throat again. "I'm fine, Daddy," she responded, clutching the letter in her right hand. "Everything is just fine."

_You need to leave Sinnoh immediately. You aren't safe there._

Well, she was sorry to break it to him, but Unova was not an option. He knew where she was, and where she had been for the last two hundred and two days. Not safe? She didn't really leave her house! What a ridiculous concept.

And with that, Delaney took off, sprinting from the moment she left her door, even though she had a feeling running wouldn't distract her today.


	2. 02: Unsafe Safe

**Chapter 02: Unsafe Safe**

Question: How many roselia in a row can you battle before going insane?

Answer: Apparently 6.

Luckily for Delaney, Annette had decided the best use of her day was to hang out and play with Oshawott. Delaney needed a day to process things, a day to keep her mind active... Mindless tasks to keep her distracted. Sound familiar?

Oh, and for the record? None of those roselia lasted longer than ten minutes in battle with Blitzkrieg. Even as just a time-consumer, it failed.

Due to his teasing attitude and reckless streak, Blitzkrieg terrified the vast majority of the young maids at the Caldwell house, so Delaney had to recall him before she wandered back into the house. Annette was undoubtably still in Delaney's room with Oshawott, so Delaney figured that was the place to go once she got inside. She jogged up to the front and opened the door, heading straight for the stairs that led to her bedroom.

"Are you going to tell me about this new pokemon now?"

Delaney hadn't noticed her father in the foyer, but there he stood, now out of his navy suit and into a pair of khaki shorts, white short sleeved shirt and a tan sweater around his shoulders. Though it was hot out, Blake was often cold and kept a sweater on him "just in case". He stared up at his daughter, who was staring back at him wondering when the hell he got home and how he got to the front without Delaney so much as noticing (probably in the midst of one of her millions of roselia battles). "We can talk about it over dinner," she said with a shrug as she began heading back up to her room.

"Wake and I grabbed a bite to eat after our meeting, so I'm not very hungry. We'll talk now," he stated sternly in his "Mr. Backlot Businessman" voice. He only used it on Delaney when he was of the utmost seriousness, and apparently, that was now.

Sighing a bit to herself, Delaney went back down the stairs, knowing there was no way to avoid this conversation. "In the library, Del," he said, and began to walk down the west hallway. Of course, the library was where he held the most detrimental conversations, so this was bound to be a doozy. She followed after him and entered the spacious room a couple of paces after her father. It was her least favorite room in the house. Whereas most libraries felt comfortable, like a place to waste the day in a fantasy world in front of a crackling fire, Blake's was more like a second office, a better office than his own official office. His original office at least had traces of him in it, with Pokemon books scattered around and rare, interesting artifacts on display. This had none of those little inserts, just rows upon rows of books Delaney was certain nobody had ever touched. It seemed almost pretentious, which was odd to her because her father most certainly wasn't.

Or at least, her father wasn't. "Mr. Backlot Businessman" was a bit full of himself (though she would never tell him that at the risk of hurting his feelings).

Delaney took a seat in one of the plushy crushed velvet armchairs, hardly feeling worthy to sit on it, much less make herself comfortable and relaxed. She sat up as straight as a pin (like a _proper_lady, mind you) and tossed her hair behind her shoulder, because it was her father's biggest peeve to not be able to see her eyes when he was speaking to her. She looked him directly in the eye (hoping it wasn't a move she would regret) and simply said, "Ask away".

"Tell me about the pokemon I saw you with earlier." She had said _ask_ away. This wasn't a question. It was a demand. Despite the fact that they were usually on pretty equal footing, as they had been for years, Blake occasionally liked to remind the sixteen year old who was boss.

"It's called an oshawott. It's a water pokemon." At least, she was pretty sure Oshawott was a water Pokemon, but not all Pokemon were so obvious. But even worse than that, Delaney knew her father wanted more information than that, and information was something she just did not have. If Dax was there with his PokeDex, he might have been able to pick up _something_, but Delaney hadn't been chosen for that honor by Professor Rowan. Apparently taking down Team Galactic and saving the space-time continuum didn't even make her worthy of carrying around a small machine, in the great professor's eyes.

Damn that grouchy old man.

Blake took his daughter's silence to mean that she was searching for things to tell him (which, to some extent, was true). "And it's from Unova." Another statement, not question.

"Yes." What more could she say? She didn't know from what part of Unova it came from, if it was rare, how much training it had been through (though he looked very young, so she was guessing not much).

"Who gave you this pokemon, assuming you didn't make a morning trip out there to catch one?" Blake asked, leaning forward across the desk.

"A friend," she nearly whispered. _If__you__could__really__call__him__that._

"Dax?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Delaney knew he knew. If it had been Dax, she would have just said Dax from the very beginning.

Why didn't she just say Dax from the very beginning? Damn.

"No, just another friend that I met traveling," she muttered, lying through her very teeth. She resisted the urge to pull on the tips of her hair as she often did when she was nervous. He would know she was lying if he saw her do that. It had been her go-to habit since childhood.

"Not a gym leader, certainly?"

"No, Daddy. Just another random trainer that I battled one day that I became friends with."

_He was anything but 'just another random trainer'._

Blake, however, knew damn well that Delaney wasn't the type to befriend random strangers on the road. She felt uncomfortable around new people, and it took her too long to open up to people. The only close friend she had was Dax. "You _do_ know who sent it, Delaney?"

"Yes," she answered quickly. "I know exactly who sent it."

Blake paused. Delaney could tell as his steely eyes locked with her violet ones that he was decided whether or not this was a battle he wanted to pursue. Yes, there was something she wasn't telling him, but it couldn't be as bad as he thought.

Actually, it kind of was, but he didn't need to know _that_.

But Blake went in a completely different direction than she expected. "It's not from Lydia, is it? Trying to get you back there?"

The nerves on Delaney's face were quickly replaced with repulsion. "Oh Arceus no, Daddy. You know I haven't talked with her in years, not since before I left to challenge Roark."

Oh Lydia. Hardly a mother.

Not to say she hadn't tried, of course, but her effort was too little, too late. When a thirteen year-old Delaney had begun to receive letters from Unova, she hadn't cared one bit. A page and a half after seeing her once was hardly worth the effort to read and Delaney was too busy preparing to start her pokemon journey to even try to make an effort to write back. Lydia had written three more letters that year, and then they stopped as sudden as they had started. Truth be told, the letters had hardly crossed her mind until now.

"I just thought I'd check," Blake said, looking down and letting his steely approach die down. "One of these days she'll realize that she should've stuck around."

Realization hit the blonde girl like a pick-up truck. "Is that what this whole thing has been about? You trying to figure out if Lydia has been contacting me?"

"Partially," he sheepishly admitted. "And partially just because I worry. You've had a lot to deal with over the last few months, kiddo."

"You don't need to worry about me," Delaney insisted. She didn't add that if one more person said that they were worried, she would likely punch them in the face, considering it was her dad, but seriously. If one more person said that they were _worried_ or _concerned_, she would likely punch them in the face.

Blake stood up and walked to the doorway, and Delaney followed suit. "Maybe you should go out traveling again. Try your hand at the Battle Frontier, like Dax," he suggested.

Delaney shrugged and walked out into the hallway. Surprisingly, none of the maids were hanging around, pretending to dust. "I don't think so. Traveling has just gotten boring. I need a break from it," she stated. After telling herself that she needed to recover for six months and distract herself, she realized there was more truth than her words to her father than she had wanted to realize. Yes, she had needed time to recover. She probably should have taken that time right after the incident at the Spear Pillar, but after she had been released from the hospital, she had let herself be pushed into finishing up the gym challenge and battling the Elite 4. The first couple of months spent back home were necessary to rest up after all the stress that had plagued her for months. But after that? She could've (and according to Dax, should've) gotten back on the road.

Truth be told, she just didn't want to.

Blake only looked mildly surprised at the statement. "Well I know that if you felt like it, you could probably challenge the gyms again. Wake was just saying earlier today that he's been training hard so that he can ask you for a rematch."

"I'm sure he has," Delaney said with a forced smile, but in honesty? The idea of training and pressuring her Pokemon extra hard for _rematches_ made her skin crawl.

At the end of the hallway, Blake made a sharp right, bypassing the stairs in favor of the door that led to the elaborate back garden. "I'm going into my trophy garden," he said with a gleeful little grin. It was slightly adorable how obsessed her father was with going and playing with the baby pokemon in the back. "Call me if you need to, Delly."

By that point, Delaney was halfway up the stairs, relieved that the conversation was over. "Will do, Daddy!" she called back down, and then ran down the hallway to her room.

She cautiously opened the door... Only to find an incredibly adorable little otter pokemon rolling around her pink rug with a pokemon treat in his hand. Annette sat on the floor, cross-legged and wearing a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a white off-the-shoulder shirt. It was clear she was off-duty, which made it all the nicer that she had stayed to entertain Delaney's pokemon (though it looked like it was Oshawott who was entertaining the young golden-haired girl). "Looks like you two are having fun," Delaney said with a chuckle. The Oshawott stopped rolling around and looked up at Delaney with big, black eyes, blinking as if he was confused as to who she was.

"Oh, he's darling!" Annette squealed eagerly, clapping her hands. "He's been so much fun to spend the day with! It was like I was hardly working!"

She had been hardly working, but Delaney felt no need to point that out. She was just grateful that somebody had taken the oshawott off of her hands for the day so it didn't remind her of...

Ugh.

Annette hopped off the floor and grabbed her purse that was lying next to where she had been sitting. "I hope you don't mind, Miss Delaney, but I need to leave."

"Not at all!" Delaney said, smiling. "Thank you for helping me out today."

"It was my pleasure," Annette said, beaming. "Maybe tomorrow I can help you out again!"

"I would appreciate that," Delaney said, kicking her shoes off by her bedroom door. "Have a good evening, Annette."

"You as well, Miss Delaney!" she said with a bright, cheerful smile and with that, she opened Delaney's bedroom door and began to walk out. The oshawott ran as fast as its flipper-like feet would allow after her. Delaney scooped him up and placed him on her bed.

"You'll see her tomorrow," Delaney irately told the oshawott, puzzled at his behavior. He hadn't shown one bit of affection towards her, yet he was chasing after Annette.

_He probably thinks Annette is his trainer._

Delaney nearly facepalmed herself at the obviousness. Annette had spent the whole day playing with him and showering him with affection, while Delaney spent her afternoon running, swimming and battling countless roselia with the help of Blitzkrieg. It made perfect sense why he wanted to leave with Annette.

That didn't mean that it didn't still sting Delaney a bit though. "I guess I used up some of my avoidance on you, too," Delaney said softly to him. "I'm sorry, little guy. The circumstances you came with aren't your fault." She lightly scratched him behind one of his navy ears. "I promise I'll be better tomorrow."

"Wott!" he exclaimed cheerfully, as if excitedly accepting her promise. Delaney smiled a little bit, and continued absentmindedly stroking his head.

"I bet it sure is different for you here. Alex said you came from a lab... No offense, but that sounds kind of boring. At least here there are lots of pokemon to play with. Tomorrow you can meet Blitzkrieg, and Marvel, and Bellby..." _Something__is__not__right.__Something__that__she__had__just__told__Oshawott__was__off._

Well, two things, if you wanted to be technical. The first was that Marvel, her brave, kind-hearted togekiss that had taken her home every night while on her journey, was no longer around for Oshawott to meet, thanks to Cyrus. The second was the realization of the fact that she had just spoken Alex's name out loud for the first time in six months.

Both made her rather sad.

Oshawott closed its eyes, laying its head into her hand, totally blissful. Delaney continued to alternate between softly stroking his head and scratching him behind his left ear. "If only you had been here back when I was traveling, Oshawott..." she said, thinking out loud a bit. "You would've liked me a lot better then. You would've had more fun too. Back when I liked to battle, I used to challenge everyone I saw. Now you're just going to kind of sit around here like I do. Hopefully you like to run... But I think you'd have a hard time with that with those short little legs of yours. Maybe we can go swimming together. There's a pool at the back corner of the backyard. It's fenced off so that trainers visiting Daddy's garden can't go in it."

She had no idea why she was babbling so much. Maybe she just liked the idea of being able to talk to somebody again. She hadn't been able to ramble so much since...

_Oh Arceus, Delaney, just say it. You already said it once._

_Fine. ALEX._

Dax liked talking himself far too much for Delaney to sit there and jabber at him. Instead, he expected her to listen. Alex wasn't much of a talker though, and he always said Delaney's life was so much more interesting than his. He liked to hear her stories. He didn't mind when she told him about the silly things her pokemon did, like the time Blitzkrieg had sparred with a small starly until its angry mama Staraptor flew over and gave the (then) monferno a piece of his own medicine, or when Marvel had been a togepi who had been a little too fond of the fires he accidentally started using Metronome. He told her that she reminded him of a time when things had been far less complicated and far more fun.

Thinking about these talks made Delaney rather sad. They reminded _her_ of a time when things had been far less complicated and far more fun.

She herself was starting to fall asleep as she sat there with her oshawott. "You know, I feel like I need to give you some ridiculously cool name," she told him. He opened one eye slightly and then closed it, as if to tell her to leave it until the morning. She sighed. "Okay, I get it. I think. It's been a long day. Maybe it's time for bed."

Oshawott seemed to happily agree with her. She threw off the white shorts and purple t-shirt she had been wearing since getting out of the pool and pulled on her trusty pair of pink cotton pajama pants, with one of millions of random white camisoles she had lying around. She picked up Oshawott to get him out of her way and crawled into bed under the covers. She put him down on top of the blanket and attempted to make herself comfortable.

To Delaney, there was a magic moment that came each night, the moment where one is just between sleep and dream and the world is all peaceful...

"Delaney!"

At first, she thought the yell was part of a dream, and she was rather pleased that she was dreaming about something besides a certain incident that had happened two hundred and two days prior. After she heard it again, though, it became all too real that somebody- no, not somebody- her father was about to wake her up and disturb her magic moment.

She shut her eyes tightly and mentally told him to wait until the morning. Blake, though, wouldn't listen to his daughter's unspoken reason and barged in without even knocking on the door- something he had never once done before in all of Delaney's life. He flipped on the lights, to the dismay of both his daughter and the tired oshawott lying to the right of her. "Delaney Christa Caldwell, I know you're awake, or at least somewhat awake. Sit up."

Delaney begrudgingly followed instructions, but that didn't mean that her pillows weren't directly behind her, supporting her elbows as she leaned back as far as she could without her head actually hitting the pillow. "Can't this wait until morning?" she asked sleepily.

"If it could have, it would have," was Blake's quick reply. "I think you need to get out of here."

Delaney sat straight up. "Excuse me?"

"There have been reports on every channel, from Pokemon Watcher to the late-night news. There's been an incident at the prison on Canalave."

_No._

__"Cyrus is gone, and so are fifty or so Galactic grunts. They managed to capture the commander before she got away." _Mars.__Cassy.__Cassy__is__her__name.__Alex__and__Reina__had__managed__to__avoid__capture._

_You need to leave Sinnoh immediately._

Alex knew about this. She _knew_ he had to. He wanted her to get out before Team Galactic gained back their power, whatever power they had gained, at any rate. The oshawott was an incentive to get her to Unova.

_The time will come when you won't be able to._

Blake must have thought her crazy, not responding to a word he said, staring blankly ahead of her as she processed the letter in her head. "Delaney, you get what this means, don't you? They'll come back to power. Nobody demolished their headquarters, or their Eterna building. They don't care about privacy. They'll go right back as if nothing happened."

Sinnoh would be back to the days of having your pokemon stolen as you walked down your street, or Galactic recruiters trying to convince you to follow the almighty Cyrus. Delaney remembered too vividly a day when a couple of punkass grunts had stolen the pokedex of Rowan's assistant, Lucas. Actually, she remembered a lot too vividly.

_The three legendary pokemon- Mespirit, Azelf and Uxie. Imprisoned and tortured._

_The grunt who had spoken too much of their plan. Disposable. Shot and tossed in the corner of a cave._

_Marvel, savagely torn down from the sky by a bloodthirsty weavile as Cyrus watched with a twisted smile on his face._

She had seen things that she could never unsee, as much as she wanted to (though the Spear Pillar was mostly a giant blank to her).

Blake sat on the edge of her bed, concern turning into annoyance, lines popping up on his forehead where there had not been lines before. "Don't you understand? You're their number one target. They're going to want to make sure you don't get in their way again. Cyrus has a score to settle with you."

Finally, something caught her attention. "I'm even stronger than the last time I battled them, Dad. I can take them on again."

"I know you _can,_Delaney," he began, pacing his words as if that was the only chance he had of keeping calm. "But you won't do such a thing. I won't allow you to put yourself in that position again." This, once again, was a statement. Just as he had earlier in the library, he was exerting his dominance and reminding her that she was the child and he was the parent.

"What are you talking about?" she cried. "Who else do you think will do this? I'm the only one that can beat them."

"The authorities can handle this. Trained professionals who have made it their job to bring down criminals. Not a sixteen year old girl who is clearly still traumatized from all that happened before. You need to leave Sinnoh immediately before they regroup and take over like nothing ever happened."

"Just like the authorities dealt with it before, right?" she said snarkily, losing her cool. "They didn't do a damn thing. They left _me_to do it. They only had to clean up the damage left after it was all over." It was a sore subject for her, even to this day. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to regain her calm. Her father was doing the same apparently, trying to keep from yelling back at her. He always had been the calm one in the family anyways. "Leave Sinnoh," she said disbelievingly, more to herself than anybody else. Her father obviously hadn't been the first to suggest it (not that he was suggesting anyways- he was demanding), but the idea sounded just as crazy coming from him as it had coming from Alex. Delaney had lived in the same house all her life. She had never left Sinnoh, not even on vacation. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Unova sounded so far off, almost like the lands of fairy tales. She couldn't just pick up her life and move. "Where would I go?"

A look of pain crossed Blake's face; one that Delaney knew only came up when it came to one subject and one subject only. He opened his mouth to speak, but Delaney beat him to the punch. She knew exactly what he was going to say, and the idea was so preposterous, so absolutely ridiculous, that she couldn't let the words be spoken aloud. "No," she stated. A statement, not a question. "Don't even think about it. Not gonna happen. No how, no way. No no no."

"Delaney, don't act like a child," Blake snapped, finally losing patience with her. "This isn't a question, it's a statement. You're going."

"I will _not_ go," Delaney argued, blatantly disregarding her father for the first time in her life. "Anywhere but there."

"They won't find you there," Blake insisted. "If they cross over to another region, it's likely that Hoenn will be the first targeted. They have a lot of underwater caverns that can be utilized."

"Then send me to Johto or Kanto. Don't send me to Unova!" she pleaded, despite the fact that Alex was there... If he even was there. What if he had just told her to escape to the first place that popped in his head that wasn't Sinnoh? What if he was actually laying on an island beach in Kanto (if Delaney remembered correctly, they had a rather famous island chain that was said to house a legendary bird) or working at a harbor in Johto? What if he was part of a Hoenn takeover? Then she'd just be simply stuck in Unova. With _her._

"You're not going to change my mind, Delly," Blake said sadly as he got up off the edge of her bed. "I don't want you to go either, but as much as I'd rather keep you here, I'd much more rather get you out of this mess before you're knee-deep in it. One of the maids will help you get ready tomorrow."

"Annette," she said automatically. "I want Annette to help me. Oshawott likes her."

"Whatever you want, Delly. Good night. We'll talk more in the morning." Blake kissed her on her forehead and then slowly walked out of the room, turning off the light as he left.

If she had been younger, Delaney might have screamed that what she wanted was to not go to Unova. She might have thrown a fit and turned blue from yelling. She might have argued just a little bit more. But Delaney knew that this was one thing (and probably the only thing) that she couldn't argue her way out of. Blake had made up his mind.

To Unova she would go.


	3. 03: Shadows and Regrets

**Chapter 03: Shadows and Regrets**

"It burns," Delaney muttered bitterly. Was it supposed to feel like this? For all Delaney knew, she was having an allergic reaction to the chemicals in the dye. She didn't for the life of her understand why she was being forced to change so much about herself. She wasn't dumb- she knew that the combination of platinum blonde hair and violet eyes would probably negate all of the effort they were taking to hide her, but couldn't contacts just suffice? After the hair dye, she would never be able to get back to the near white shade that her hair was now.

And brown- yuck. How boring.

"I'm sorry!" Annette exclaimed as she painted another one of Delaney's strands with the color. "I've never done this before. I'm trying my best."

Delaney was pretty much forced to chuckle, if anything, to assure the younger girl that it wasn't her that was the cause of Delaney's irritation. "It's quite alright. You're doing a good job, Annette. I just don't want to do this."

There was silence as Annette finished up her head, a rarity for the younger girl. Delaney had never been around Annette when she wasn't gleefully jabbering away. After about fifteen minutes, the blonde finally broke the silence. "Okay, it needs to stay on for a half hour," she said decidedly. She grabbed her Crosstransceiver, setting an alarm on it. Delaney only nodded, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. As one could imagine, she hadn't slept well the night before, once again plagued by the nightmare that always ended the same. This one had begun at a different spot, though, which had been a first, but all of the details had still been fuzzy. She vaguely remembered being somewhere other than the Spear Pillar, a place where it had been hard to breathe. It was almost like gravity didn't exist... But before she knew it, the place had given way to the usual, to Dax, to _him._

"Miss Delaney?" Annette finally spoke, though her voice had lost the excitement from earlier. "Can I ask you a question?"

Delaney snapped out of her thoughts, giving up on recalling the weirdness of the beginning of her dream. "Sure, what's up?"

"Does your oshawott have anything to do with why you're leaving?" Annette asked timidly, as if expecting Delaney to explode the moment she stopped speaking. Nobody- not a soul in the house- knew why Delaney was rushing out of Sinnoh. The majority of the members of the household more than likely believed that she had simply wanted to travel again and Unova was her continent of choice.

Ha. _Choice._ How funny.

"Why do you ask that?" Delaney questioned.

"Because he came and now you're leaving. Or was it the person who sent you the oshawott? Are you going to see them?" There was a pause for a second and then Annette spoke again, her voice getting squeaky. "My goodness, Miss Delaney, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be being so nosy. You don't have to answer my question."

Delaney was silent for a moment, not angry that she had asked such a question, but contemplating whether Annette could handle the truth of the answer. She was sweet, albeit a bit nosy. And for the first time, Delaney actually wanted to tell her stories. She couldn't tell her father- it would just confirm that she needed to be shipped off (plus there were a few details he probably wouldn't want to know about his daughter). Dax, with his rigid moral code, would never understand, and that just wouldn't do. She wanted somebody who could understand _everything_- why she didn't want to travel, why she couldn't sleep at night, why she had stopped caring about pretty much everything. It was a long story, and not a happy one, but maybe (just maybe), Annette would want to hear it. "Annette?"

"Yes, Miss Delaney?" she asked. She had begun cleaning up from the hair-dying catastrophe (which was only a catastrophe in Delaney's mind because she hadn't wanted to dye her hair) without Delaney even noticing.

"Would you like to hear a story?" Delaney asked quietly. Beautiflys took residence in her abdomen, nervous at the idea of somebody knowing this particular truth. She had never uttered these words out loud, especially where _he_ was concerned. Not a person alive knew about Alex. Dax had ideas, opinions, but they barely scraped the truth.

"Yes!" Annette said enthusiastically. She took a seat on Delaney's plush carpet. Delaney got down from the chair she had been sitting on to join her.

"You asked questions. You're going to learn the answers to them. But I need to give you a warning. This is a long story. It doesn't have a happy ending. Do you still want to hear it?" It was only fair to give the young girl a warning. It was only fair to allow her the chance to opt out of hearing the story.

"Of course, Miss Delaney!" Annette chirped. She settled down on Delaney's plush rug, long legs crossed and blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. As Delaney looked at her, she suddenly realized that she had no idea why she kept thinking Annette was so young. She was definitely at least fourteen, probably actually fifteen- barely younger than Delaney herself. Over the last few months, Delaney felt like she had rapidly aged. She felt easily twice her sixteen years.

She forced herself to snap out of that train of though. If she was going to tell this story, she needed to get to it and stop procrastinating. "Okay... But you're definitely not allowed to call me Miss Delaney after this. Just the fact that I'm telling you this makes us friends, okay? Very good friends, because I've never told anybody this story, not even my father. I trust you won't tell it to others," Delaney said, looking Annette straight in the eye.

"I promise I won't tell, Mi- Delaney," Annette said, quickly correcting herself. "Your secrets are safe with me."

Delaney took a deep breath and closed her eyes, allowing herself to bring back thoughts and memories that she had pushed away a long time ago. She knew Annette was staring at her eagerly, waiting for the story to begin, but first, Delaney had to find the courage to tell it.

_Come on. Whatever happened to 'stop procrastinating'? You can't avoid this forever._

"Suppose you're out in the world traveling," she began. "It's a Tuesday." _Why__ you __remember __that, __you'll __never __know._ "It's cold, it's rainy and it's so foggy you can hardly see your hand in front of your face. One of your Pokemon has a pretty bad burn, thanks to some random kid's reckless ponyta. All of your pokemon are tired and scuffed up, and you're too far from the last city to turn back. Despite the fact that you have a lot of money on you, you're low on supplies because you didn't check your inventory before you left."

"Suppose it's one of those days where nothing is going right. You just lost a battle that you should have won, but you weren't focusing. You're tired and upset and there's nothing you want to do but call it a day, but you can't. So you continue on and hope that you get where you're going soon."

"Suppose the rain really starts coming down hard, and you can hardly see well enough to continue on, but you force yourself to anyways. You have to get to the next town for your pokemon. You hate the idea that they're hurt because of you. You don't hear the footsteps approach, but before you know it, a stranger is at your side, offering to share their umbrella with you. You're upset and desperate and you need to get the rain out of your eyes so you can continue. Before you accept the offer, you ask if he has a burn heal and a potion of sorts to spare, because your pokemon are hurt. As he graciously pulls the supplies out of his bag, you can't help but notice that he's rather attractive." _Not__ hot,__ that __doesn't __really __do__ him __justice. __He's __handsome__ in __kind __of __a__ regal __way, __with __those __high __cheekbones,_ _his __jet __black __hair __and__ deep __blue __eyes._ "He looks like he's a couple years older than you. You thank him for all of his help, but he brushes you off and then begins to walk forward, once again offering you the umbrella. You accept without hesitation."

"Oh, Delaney, how romantic!" Annette gushed. Delaney knew she would like that part of the story. Annette was younger, and she still believed in fairy-tales, Delaney assumed. Most girls did when they were young, and sweet, and naive- Delaney sure had. She believed that relationships ended up the way they did in romantic comedies. To Annette's credit, Delaney had to admit that the story began that way- it was a horrible romantic cliché, one of the worst that Delaney had ever heard, but at the time, Delaney, like Annette, had totally and utterly swooned.

"He asks your name and asks you about yourself. He genuinely wants to know all about you and the two of you talk, about anything and everything, except for him. When it gets to him, he changes the subject quickly. Before you know it, you've reached the next town and the Pokemon Center. He rushes off before he tells you his name, but just like that it's over. You're rather disappointed. You felt like there was a real sort of connection there." _Deep__ breath_.

"Is that the end?" Annette asked, looking upset. "I want to know more about him."

"You'll learn plenty more about him," Delaney said a bit bitterly. "The story's not even close to being over. I told you this wasn't going to be a happy ending."

She continued. "Suppose the next day, you're ready to leave. Small town life just isn't for you, and you need to get to the next town for another badge. As you're heading towards the mountains in the west, you notice Team Galactic is causing mayhem. Even though you're sick of playing hero, you know it's your job to break up this nonsense, just as it has been for your entire journey. But I digress..."

She took another deep breath. This part was one of her least favorites. "Because you're expected to, you head to the center of the town to dispose of them quickly. Them, and their stunkys and zubats and croagunks. They're not terribly original. You yell at them, like always." _What__ you __said, __nobody __knows.__"_Everybody turns to look at you, most of them with that 'Oh no, you again' look. All except the commander in charge. You've seen those eyes, they talked with you yesterday, laughed with you, helped you. It's the guy from yesterday, the guy with the umbrella. He's wearing a ridiculous blue hat and that stupid uniform that looks like space pajamas, but you would know those eyes anywhere. You know he recognizes you as well. His sentences are getting shorter, his movements are getting clumsy, he's not focusing on anything. Suppose then that _his _commander shows up. You battle, you win, as always, and as soon as it's over, you split. Because even though this guy didn't have to say anything about it when he shared his umbrella with you, you still feel betrayed that he didn't."

This was the part where she expected Annette to burst out in shock, but she was silent, riveted to the story, blue eyes wide. "Suppose you run as fast as you can out of that small town, preparing to go and get that next badge, but all that's on your mind is what happened and you need to take a rest, think about it, try to make sense of it." _You__ know __it's __stupid, __but __you're __trying __not __to __cry. _"Suppose you're sitting on a rock, and there's no noise besides the waterfalls flowing into the river. Nobody's around you, it's insanely peaceful and it's the perfect place to begin to turn the events of your day over and over again in your head... Until he comes running through the grass, yelling. That damn hat is gone, his stupid pajama uniform is gone too. He looks just like the guy from yesterday, but today, you know better. When he gets to that rock, out of breath and panting, the first thing that he says is that his name is Alex." She could still picture this moment perfectly in her mind. The meditite, the machoke, the chingling, all scurrying to get out of his way. Grass kicked up from his hurried footsteps. The dark-haired boy, one hand on the boulder for balance, cheeks flushed red, perspiration lazily dripping off his temples. A girl with platinum hair sitting straight up, perfect posture, violet eyes narrowed as she watches him- angry, trying to hate that boy, but miserably failing.

"Suppose you tell him that you don't give a fuck about any Team Galactic member. After all that's happened with Team Galactic, you want nothing to do with them." _You're __madder __than __you've __ever __been __in__ your __life, __but __you __can't __figure __out __why._ "You tell him that he probably only walked with you under orders, because you know they're irritated with you. Cyrus certainly wasn't happy after you won that last battle. Not true, he claims. He says as he was walking in the rain, he saw a pretty girl shivering and walking slowly, and when he caught up with her, she looked stressed and worried. He wanted to do something nice and help her, and besides, she was pretty. Anybody would've done the same." Delaney blushed slightly, though the pink in her cheeks didn't even remotely match the red she had turned when Alex had been there, telling her she was pretty... twice.

_Deep __breath.__This __is __where __it __gets __real._ "You're quiet. You don't know what to say, what to think. He sits down on that boulder next to you and looks into your eyes. He says that he shouldn't be talking to you, that he should be furious that you're in their way, but for some reason, he's not. He tell you that you're different and he knew that before he even knew who you were." _And__ then__ you __realize __it. __You __know __why __you __were __so __mad- __because__ your __brain __turned__ into __gush__ the __moment __he __strode __up __with __his __umbrella. __Your __mind __fell __for __a__ stupid __romantic __cliché__ that __became __completely __unobtainable __once__ you __saw__ him __in __that __stupid __hat._ "Naturally, you swoon. You _are_ a teenage girl after all, and in your mind, this had been an epic love story waiting to happen from the first hello."

"Except it was far from that. It had taken a sharp turn downhill, and there were so many politics and rules and regulations involved now that it was ridiculous. It was quiet on that route, sitting on that boulder. Suppose then he leans forward and kisses you, and it's amazing, and poetic, and all of that junk. Deep down you know that things are about to get horribly, ridiculously complicated."

Delaney paused and closed her eyes again. "How much time do we have with my hair?"

"Fifteen minutes," Annette said with a quick glance at her Crosstransceiver.

"Okay, that should be plenty of time," Delaney decided. "When Alex crossed that line, everything changed." _You __changed._ "You tell him you have to get going. There was a city and a gym waiting for you across the sea to the west." _You're__ running __like __you __always __do._ "He asks you for five more minutes, but you say no. You need to think. That was the point of coming out here, away from town, anyways. He asks when he can see you again. You tell him that you don't know if that's such a good idea, but he'll make it happen if he really wants to. And with that, you disappear to the mountains of the west, a quick detour to get where you need to go."

"Suppose that you get the town by the sea, spending copious amounts of time in the library studying space and time, trying to figure out Team Galactic, trying to find some way that this can work." _You're__ trying __to __find __a __way__ to __get __him __out, __even__ if __it __means __maybe __you're __on__ the __losing __end._ "You battle, you get the badge and now instead of a sixteen year old girl with five badges, you're a sixteen year old girl with six badges... And that doesn't make a bit of a difference to you. You go out to a faraway island and train. You defeat a few Galactic grunts in the cave on your first night there. A couple days later, you hear footsteps, and for the first time since those grunts left, they're not yours. It turns out to be him. He stays with you that night. You ask him about himself and try to figure out why he puts on those stupid pajamas and plays the bad guy, because he's not like the idiot grunts you've battled, nor is he like the other commanders, cold and calculating. He tells you about how he joined as they were first forming. He doesn't try to pretend that he's innocent. He had heard a speech made by Cyrus when he was first recruiting. His father had just died of cancer, and his mother, lost after twenty years of marriage, had turned to the bottle, leaving him to fend for himself. Cyrus's vision of a new world free from the burden of emotion had greatly appealed to him- it was that deep emotion that had ruined his mother and left him alone. He was only fourteen when he joined, and he didn't realize what kind of commitment he was making. Cyrus promised to take care of him as long as Alex did what he asked in return, and the idea of somebody looking after him was enough to win Alex over. He didn't become a commander just by watching out while others did bad things- he stole pokemon, stole money, and even helped hurt some of those who opposed Team Galactic. Only recently had Cyrus gone from being a leader and mentor to Alex, almost like an older brother trying to guide the younger, to a man mad with power. Even before you met, Alex had been growing more and more disenchanted with Team Galactic, but he couldn't figure out how to leave. He knew enough that Cyrus would certainly send men after him to kill him if he simply walked away. You promise to try to figure out how to get him out. You spend the rest of the night talking, and you love how easy he is to talk to. He leaves the next morning, but promises to see you soon. He seems troubled, but you don't know why. After you return to the town by the sea, you meet the professor's assistant at the library, as well as the professor. Your best friend comes to town as well. And then as you're sitting there talking, everything shakes, and you wonder how an island has an earthquake. It's from the mainland- an explosion. Do you remember that, Annette? When Team Galactic blew up Lake Valor?"

"Yes," the younger teen said breathlessly.

Delaney couldn't even look at Annette. "That was Alex." Her mind went back to the empty pit in the ground, pokemon flopping around, desperate for water. She remembered the horrible feeling as she passed them in her attempts to get to the cave, knowing that by the time she left for her next destination, they would all be dead. They hadn't been trained to stay out of water for extended periods of time. The lake was all they knew. They were innocent bystanders. _As__ you __were __at __one __point._

"I got on my togekiss and flew to Pastoria as fast as I could and then bolted to the lake," she muttered, forgetting the narrative. "I wanted to believe that it was Cyrus, or Mars, or Jupiter. I wanted to believe that Alex was not capable of something so horrible." _The__ pit __of __dread __in __her __stomach, __the __heated__ fear __in__ her __cheeks._ "But it was all him, and by the time I got there, they had captured Azelf. Alex was still in the cave when I got there and all he could say was that he was sorry, _but__ how __do __you__ apologize __for __that?" _Her voice raised at least two levels in volume and Delaney felt herself get angry thinking about it. "I couldn't even speak; I just cried and wondered how I had gotten myself into such a mess." A drop of water falls on her clenched fist. She hadn't even realized she had been crying. Delaney wiped the tears away and takes a deep breath, regaining her composure.

"Suppose he holds you when you cry, as every good man should, but you don't know if you can call him a good man, no matter what kind of feelings you have for him." _Disgust.__ Loathing. __Fear. _"You don't even know if you can call him a man, because the look on his face is saying that he's a scared little boy." _Pity. __Sadness. __Compassion._ "When your tears cease, you tell him that you have to battle him. You tell him that you can't stop your pursuit of Team Galactic for him. Everybody is counting on you too much. So you battle him, and you win. You show him no mercy. You feel sick to your stomach. You know deep down that this will not end well. Before you leave the cave, he grabs you and kisses you goodbye." _It __feels __more __like __an __attempt __at __redemption __than __affection._ "You don't know when you'll see him again. You're beginning to think you don't want to."

"Your next travels are to the north, to the land of the snow. Just like the city near the sea, you train a lot, battle the gym leader, and become the sixteen year-old girl with seven badges, which also doesn't make any difference to you." _Did__ any __of __them?_ "You meet up with your best friend, who tells you that he was beaten by another one of the commanders, Jupiter." _At__ this __point, __you __know __her __name __is __Reina. __She__ has __hair __like __the__ night __and__ a__ two __year __old __daughter__ at __home. Cyrus had promised to make sure her abusive boyfriend stayed at bay if she would fight for Team Galactic.__"_He tells you that all that's left to do is go to the Galactic warehouse in Veilstone, their main headquarters." _He __makes __it __sound__ like __that's __all __that's __left __to __be __done, __a__ simple __solution. __You__ highly __doubt __that's __all __there __is __to __it. __It __seems __like __they'll __never __go __away.__"_So you and this friend of yours go to Veilstone, where the grunts are taking over the city, stealing pokemon from trainers in broad daylight. He's no use to you when it comes down to it though."

"You battle your way through this headquarters with relative ease. All your training up north seems to have paid off- a silver lining to this catastrophe. Then you reach an area of the hideout that you haven't been before. It's dimly lit by blue bulbs on the wall, flickering like they're about to go out. The only people around are horror-stricken scientists with tear-stained cheeks, and they wonder what they've done. You try to question them, wondering if you're about to walk into some kind of massacre, but all they can do is cry. You walk through a door at the end of the hall, and then you understand. There are the pokemon of the lakes, bound and captured, very obviously tortured, weak... vulnerable. And yet again, in middle of the room is Alex. There are tears in his eyes too. This one- it was not him. It was all Cyrus. He says he never thought it would turn out like this. You battle him again, and win with as much ease as before. Before he can stop you, you press buttons on their prisons, freeing them. They vanish in front of your very eyes. He tries to hug you, but you can't even look at him. You leave for a well-deserved rest at the Pokemon Center, but all that you've seen leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth. You want nothing else to do with Alex. Nothing."

"Later that evening, Alex comes to visit, out of that vile uniform. Before you can pull the plug, he kisses you and begins to speak, more distraught, more excited, than you've ever seen him. He tells you that this is it, he's going to leave. He wants to be with you, no more secrets, no more lies. He actually wants you to beat Cyrus and tells you of all the plans, from the Red Chain, to the orbs, to Dialga and Palkia... and Giratina. He believes that if you can win, then Team Galactic will be no more and he'll be free to be with you." _All__ you __can __think __is __that __now__ there's __one __more __person __depending __on __you __to__ beat __Team__ Galactic._ "In the morning, it's time for you to start training harder than ever with your pokemon. You need to beat Cyrus. You train for days, hating the fact that Team Galactic is getting an upperhand on their plan while you're just training."

"Finally you go to Mount Coronet, and you hike for a few days. Then you reach the top, the Spear Pillar. From there on, you remember very little. You know that you teamed up with your best friend to bring down Mars and Jupiter and you battled Cyrus and won. Cyrus battled fiercely, some of his attacks missing pokemon completely and aimed at you instead. His weavile injured your togekiss badly. It later died. The next thing you remember is not being able to open your eyes. Alex is at your side, even though he wasn't at the Spear Pillar, and he's trying to get you to wake up. Upon hearing the cops are coming, he has to run if he doesn't want to be captured with the rest of Team Galactic. You won, but it didn't turn out like he wanted it to. He's not free. And then it's over. Then six months have passed, and you're still dreaming about those last few moments, willing yourself to open your eyes, every single night."

"And then suppose one day, you go to leave to go out for your normal run and there's a package. It contains an oshawott and a letter. The letter is from none other than Alex, and he's telling you to leave Sinnoh, but he doesn't tell you why. He begs you to come to Unova. That night, your father hears that Cyrus and fifty grunts have escaped from their prison in the city by the sea. He tells you that you have no choice but to leave for Unova. The next morning, he approaches you with a box of hair dye and contacts, and tells you that you'll be recognized too easily. Before you know it, you're sitting on the floor, telling a story you never wanted to tell anybody and thinking about how much your scalp burns... Which is a lot, by the way."

Annette was once again silent, completely bewildered. A few moments felt like forever as the younger blonde girl digested the onslaught of information and after what seemed like years, she spoke. "I think it's time for the dye to come out, Delaney," she said. She got up slowly, and then extended her hand to help Delaney up as well. Annette grabbed the chair that Delaney had been sitting in before she had started talking. The two girls headed for the bathroom to rinse the offending dye out of her hair. After starting the water in the large sink and checking the temperature, Delaney sat down and leaned her head into the sink, calmed by the intense warmth of the water. Annette began to rinse and make sure it was all getting out. After a few moments, the younger girl shut off the water and handed Delaney a black towel. Delaney took it, but she didn't move. "Delaney?" Annette finally asked- her first time speaking since leaving the room. "Were you in love with Alex?"

Delaney didn't respond at first, pondering the question. Despite all that had happened, it was something she had never even asked herself. She had been too focused on everything else while it had been happening, and after it was over, she had tried to wipe it all from her mind. "I could have been," she finally answered. _If __things __had__ been __different._She paused again and finally took the towel and wrapped it around her head. _Cover__ it __up, __maybe __you __can __pretend __it __doesn't__ exist. __You __can __pretend __that __everything __is __normal._ "That doesn't really answer your question though. I don't know if you could call what we had a relationship, but regardless, out of our relationship, we spent two nights together and that was it. The rest were meetings forced by Team Galactic, other than the first night we met and the night in the cave. If things were as simple as they began, as simple as sharing an umbrella in the rain and talking and getting to know each other, then I would've been absolutely in love with Alex. But things just weren't that easy, Annette."

"I'm glad you told me your story, Delaney," Annette said with a small smile. "All I knew about you when you got here was that you were the girl who beat Team Galactic. You were everyone's hero. But now that I know all of this, I think you're more of a hero than anybody realizes."

The door to the bathroom opened then and the two girls jumped. One of the older maids, Tandy, poked her head through. "Annette, it's four and you're off-duty, sweetheart. Are you going to stay late again today?"

Delaney shook her head, answering for Annette. "No, she's going to go home. She's been a tremendous help today and she deserves a rest after the work I've put her through today," she said, offering the younger girl a smile. "Thank you very much for your help today, Annette. I look forward to seeing you when I return."

The small blonde girl, it seemed, had forgotten that the now-brunette was leaving that evening. "I'll miss you, Miss Delaney," she said, surprising Delaney by wrapping her in a hug. "I'll keep your room nice and tidy, I promise."

"Will you do me an extra special favor and look after my pokemon?" Delaney asked her, drudgingly recalling her father's opinion that her pokemon, the original five, were far too recognizable for her to take with her to Unova. She had meant to ask Annette earlier, but all had been forgotten. "I'll even give you a little something special for it. You can borrow whatever you want from my wardrobe until I get back. Most of it was bought before I began traveling and it's probably a bit small for me anyways."

Annette's eyes lit up. "Of course, Miss Delaney! And thank you. Have fun in Unova!" She hugged the older girl one last time. "I hope you find Alex there," she whispered in her ear, and then broke away from the hug, as peppy as ever. "Bye!"

When Annette departed, Tandy asked if Delaney required anybody else to help her before she left, but Delaney declined, wanting to be alone for the remainder of the afternoon. Her father was at a big meeting with Wake again and wouldn't be home until around six, so this gave her a couple hours to contemplate.

Of course, she hadn't told Annette the entire story. Just about all of it, but there _were_ a couple pieces missing. If Delaney had dared utter them aloud, then maybe Annette would _really_ understand why Delaney had been back at home for six months and not training with Dax. Yes, there was more stress from the Team Galactic incident than Delaney could properly recall, but she didn't remember the bulk of the climax of the story so that alleviated some of the pain. What stuck with her now was guilt.

_Suppose that you're laying in bed, and he's laying next to you, his hot breath on your neck keeping you awake rather than putting you to sleep. He's certain that this won't be the last time, that soon, everything will be simple and normal, and every night will be like this, but even though you agreed with him as he planted quick, eager kisses on your mouth, you know damn well that he's quite delusional. He thinks that bringing down Team Galactic will give him freedom. You're nearly certain that the end of Team Galactic will be the end of him as well. Nobody likes a story that ends with the bad guys assimilating into society, becoming fine upstanding people with careers and families... or girlfriends. What they want is justice- the bad guys put in jail forever. Justice is the popular demand, and rightfully so. No matter what you thought of Team Galactic at the beginning, a joke with atrocious hats and pajama uniforms, they were criminals. They had done a lot of bad things that they deserved to be punished for, even Alex._

_But this is nice, you think to yourself. His arms around you while you sleep (or while you're supposed to be sleeping anyways), soft breaths as he sleeps right on your neck, nights up late talking, kissing- this is what a relationship is supposed to be like. It's right there in the palm of your hand._

_And perhaps you don't want to go to this mountain._

_Perhaps you just want to stay there, in his arms and let the world happen around you. Perhaps you don't want this unfair pressure on you, a girl with seven gym badges who can't even battle the Elite Four yet. Where are they in this mess? Why isn't Cynthia battling Cyrus as you lay there? Why isn't Lucien stunning the grunts speechless as he swept their pokemon to the side with his powerful psychic attacks? You're sure challengers of the Elite 4 would wait another day. They would understand that the most powerful trainers in the region have to stop Team Galactic from ripping apart the space-time continuum._

_Or if not the Elite Four, why not the gym leaders? Byron, on his remote island of Canalave, rarely challenged, could be ripping through golbats and bronzors and puruglys instead of sitting in his gym, bored because none of the local trainers are strong enough to challenge him. Candice, with her powerful ice pokemon, where was she? She was reading fashion magazines by flashlight, no doubt._

_These supposed protectors of the land of Sinnoh, where were they? Why was this being left to a sixteen year old girl?_

_Would they show up if you failed to?_

_If you stayed in this bed, hiding out with Alex, would they finally realize that they shouldn't be resting their hopes in you? Would they realize their place in this scheme?_

_Of course not, Delaney. This is your job. For some reason, you've been selected above the authorities, above the celebrated champions and guardians of the reason to defeat the head of a criminal organization. Criminals. Bad guys._

_You close your eyes and hope the morning never comes, hope that you can stay like this. If there was such thing as a perfect moment (which judging by the circumstances so far, there wasn't, but a girl could hope), it was this._

* * *

><p><em>Suppose you woke up and he was gone. Suppose you cried for hours, and argued with yourself about going and training before heading to that mountain. Suppose you decided not to go, not to lead to his ruin.<em>

_Suppose you change your mind, because when it comes down to it, what choice do you have? Everyone is depending on you. You head out for your extreme training session anyways. Suppose with every pokemon you defeat, your heart cracks just a little more, because it knows you're one step closer to the end, when you really want to be taking two steps back until you're back in that Pokemon Center, back in those arms._

_Suppose when you go back and he's gone, the reality that you just nearly sacrificed the Sinnoh region to Team Galactic for the sake of one single guy, a criminal, a bad guy, hits you like a brick. For the rest of that day, and for the next few days, you can't even look at yourself._

_Were you in love with Alex? If you had both stayed, you would have been. If you had not gone on to defeat Team Galactic and he had not gone back to them, you would have. Despite his disenchantment with the team, though, despite wanting to leave, he never would have done it. That's why he clung to the illusion that if you defeated Cyrus, everything would be okay. If he hadn't been a coward and you hadn't had the weight of the world on your shoulders, you would have been very much in love with him. Instead, you can stand to look at yourself in the mirror... Most days._

Delaney removed the towel from her head and despite her misgivings, looked in the mirror. Gone was her long, platinum hair. In its place was dark, soaking tendrils, beginning to frizz a bit at the ends and begging her to dry her hair so that she could see what the true extent of the damage was. This was one step forward that she just didn't want to take. She stepped away from the mirror. She didn't want to gaze upon the girl staring back.

Oh Delaney, what a royal mess.

A knock to her bedroom door brought her back to reality. Delaney chose not to answer, believing it to be the maids once again offering their assistance to her packing. She really didn't want to see any of them. She was perfectly content to spend her last night in Sinnoh reminiscing- it seemed a proper farewell to her journey, to her life here.

The knocking persisted. Delaney scowled and though it was the last thing she wanted, the words "Come in!" escaped from her mouth before she could stop them. The sooner they did the asking, the sooner she could tell them to leave anyways.

But Tandy wasn't the one to walk in through the door. Her visitor wasn't even female. Instead, a tall, lanky blonde boy rushed in, his green scarf flying behind his shoulder in his haste. His eyes searched the room, obviously searching for a fellow blonde, a girl with violet eyes often decked out in blues or pinks. After a couple of moments of continuous searching (Delaney didn't dare interrupt him- he had to get used to it like she did herself), he finally set his eyes on a girl with wet, but dark brown hair, cut way shorter than the last time he had seen her and blue eyes, in a black v-neck t-shirt and pajama pants. "Arceus, this is worse than I thought, Delly. Have you gone fucking insane? What is that on your head? Please tell me it's a wig."

Delaney shook her head, wet tendrils flying in her face as she did so. "I'm afraid not, Dax."

"You dyed your hair," he said slowly, as if still attempting to comprehend. "I'm gone for two weeks, and _this _happens. Delaney Christa Caldwell, what has happened to you?" He had a special fondness for saying her full name. Unlike her father, Dax didn't only say it when he was upset with her; he just said it whenever it was convenient for him to do so. "Is this like one of those rebellion things where you need your hair to match your soul, or whatever those goth kids claim?"

Delaney shook her head yet again, a small smile resting on her face from Dax's dramatic conclusion, trying to think of something to tell Dax. It wasn't like she liked lying to her best friend, but there were some things that were just easier not to say. Luckily, he cut in before she had to. "I was sitting in a restaurant in the Battle Frontier and I saw a news bulletin on the Team Galactic breakout in Canalave. I left first thing this morning and got here as soon as I could. How are you? How are you taking this?" _Guilty._ How could she lie to such a friend? He paused for what seemed like a millisecond before answering his own question. "Obviously not well, because you're a brunette. And are you wearing contacts?"

Delaney had to chuckle despite everything. A fairly easy existence was going down the drain, but at least Dax was still the same. Cyrus was on the loose, but her best friend was more focused on the woes of Delaney's hair. She was touched that he had thought to come down and check on her, though. "Yes." She paused and took a deep breath. She hadn't actually planned on telling Dax anything, as horrible as that sounded. She had planned on leaving without alerting him and then when the inevitable phone call of _where __the __hell __are __you _came, she was just going to tell him that she had decided to go traveling again after all, which would please him. Now there was no possible way but the truth. She was horrible at lying to somebody to their face (hence why it took her so long to think of something that was not the truth). "I'm leaving tomorrow. For Unova."

"Are you going to start traveling again?" Dax yelped excitedly. "Oh Del, I'm so happy you've finally decided to listen to me and do this!"

"No, I'm not," Delaney corrected him. "I'm going to uh, Nuvema Town." _Why __didn't __you __just __say __yes?_

"With Lydia?" Dax shrieked. Though Dax had very well grown up with both parents, his sweet mother Alison and his famous father, Battle Frontier Brain Palmer, he had told Delaney once that not having Palmer around very much had really bugged him up until he started traveling on his own and learned how strenuous a trainer's life really was. He had been able to sympathize when Delaney had told him about the mother who had left for her hometown before Delaney was old enough to remember her much. "You _have _lost your mind."

"It's not my choice!" she snapped irately. Was anything? "My dad is shipping me out there. He doesn't want me to have anything to do with Team Galactic this time around. He pretty much thinks that Cyrus broke out to go after me. I know, very doubtful, and even if that was the case, I could take him on. My team is stronger than they were before."

"I don't know, Delaney," Dax said, surprising her with his uncertainty (and of course, wounding her pride in the process). "You haven't seriously trained in about six months. And is it really a good idea to be getting involved with Team Galactic again after what happened?"

"I don't know, but it's apparently not my decision to make," she muttered to herself. "I need to finish packing. I'm leaving tonight. Wanna throw me my running shoes from the side of the bed? I know I'm going to get bored and want to go running."

"Tonight?" Dax asked as he went to grab the shoes. He looked at the once white, now grayish brown, sneakers with disdain. "I think you need a new pair of these. They're falling apart."

"No way!" Delaney argued. "I love new shoes, but I bought these when I got to Oreburgh. They went with me on my journey. They're special."

"Whatever," the blonde boy said with a chuckle, adjusting his scarf after handing off the old sneakers to the brunette. A rare moment of silence as Delaney shoved the sneakers into the bag on top of a heap of clothing and Dax fiddled with his clothing, the perfectionist in him coming out as he smoothed wrinkles out of his pants and straightened his jacket. Delaney watched out of the corner of her eye as she folded shorts, sweats and tees, remembering when she had done the same sorts of things. As best friends usually were, Dax and Delaney were two sides of the same coin, overall the same, with their distinct differences. Though their initial meetings rubbed Delaney the wrong way, as their journeys had continued, they had pulled together. Delaney had been originally irritated with Dax's quick speech, lack of patience and brash, almost harsh, manner in which he sometimes spoke, but she had gotten used to it and even come to appreciate it. He complimented Delaney's slow, deliberate speech, even temper and hesitant manner. And with their fair skin and light hair, they looked strikingly similar in the way that couples sometimes do, almost even like siblings, but not quite.

"So whatever happened with the cutie you met in the Battle Tower?" Delaney asked as she grabbed a suitcase and moved on to another section of the room. Silence when Dax was there was awkward. It reminded her too much of those damn dreams- they were the only memories she had of Dax actually being quiet. "Did you ever see him again?"

"No," Dax said, wrinkling his nose and moving to the rug where Delaney was sitting and shoving random items that she might need in Unova in a small pink suitcase. "And even if I did, I wouldn't have made a move in the Tower. That's my dad's turf." Yeah, that would be all Palmer needed- seeing his son in liplock with another guy in his place of employment. Though Dax's feelings about guys were one of the first things Delaney learned about him, his father didn't yet know. "What about you, any random hotties on your runs?"

Delaney shook her head, her now obnoxiously curly (and frizzy) brunette locks spilling into her face. "No, I never stray that far away from the house. No particularly interesting trainers have wandered into the garden either."

"Still waiting for ghosts, Delaney?" Dax asked. Delaney froze where she sat, a pair of shorts hanging limply from one hand. _He__ thinks __he __knows, __but __he __has __no __clue. _"From the sounds of it, he won't be coming back. He wouldn't dare, if he knows what's good for him."

"I know. Don't you think I know that, Dax?" she snapped indignantly before she could stop the words from coming out, blue eyes narrowing.

"Doesn't stop you," he said with a small chuckle. "I just still don't understand. He wasn't there during the battle. We only battled the other two, the girls and then you battled Cyrus. And then all of the sudden, bam! Random goon with a weird hat pushes me out of the way to check on you."

Dax never failed to bring this up when he came over, and he had been to visit the Caldwell household more than a couple times over the last six months. He was dying to know the details, dying to know all about the random Team Galactic member who had been so concerned about Delaney, but she would never tell. Yes, Dax was her best friend, but he would never understand. From the very beginning, Dax had loathed the organization and anyone who was a part of them. Morality was a black and white issue to Dax, and they were bad. Fraternizing with somebody in Team Galactic was pretty much like battling on their side, as far as he was concerned.

"I told you, Dax, you're making a big deal out of nothing," Delaney muttered, scooting both the suitcase and herself over to the left, towards her bed. She conveniently stuck her head under the queen-sized frame, checking to see if there was anything underneath that she might want to take with her as well as avoiding any questions Dax might throw at her.

"And I told you, Delaney, you're full of shit. He knew your name."

"So did everyone else in Team Galactic. And everyone in Sinnoh for that matter, thanks to all those annoying news segments," Delaney reminded him. "You just can't bring yourself to believe that maybe there was one person in Team Galactic that didn't have a heart of stone."

"Whatever, Delly," Dax said huffily, pulling on his scarf. "I just can't believe you're leaving without telling me this story, but I understand that you're a secretive person... Even though I absolutely hate that about you. Just leave the region and don't tell me every detail about this mysterious stranger of Team Galactic that you're absolutely in love with." Dax threw out an exaggerated sigh for dramatic impact and flung himself across the plush rug.

At the words "in love with", Delaney jerked her head up in surprise, hitting the metal frame. She pulled her upper body out from under the bed, rubbing her head and feeling around for a bump. Even though he wasn't looking directly at her, Delaney knew Dax was smirking from his place on the rug. He had certainly gotten a reaction out of her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said quietly, more to herself than to Dax.

"Delaney Christa, you're definitely hiding something. You weren't like, dating that guy, were you?"

A heavy knock sounded from the other side of the door, and even if it was Tandy or one of the other maids bothering her to help her again, Delaney was extremely grateful for the interruption. She was horrible at lying, especially to Dax. She stood up and went to get the door herself for once. She opened it cautiously, only to come face to face with her father, who recoiled in surprise at the person he was looking at. Despite the high temperature of the day, he was still wearing an olive-colored sweater over his shoulders. "I almost didn't recognize you," he said with a chuckle. "You look like a completely different person." _That __was __the __point, __wasn't __it? _He peered in the door behind her, catching sight of Dax. "Back so soon, Dax? I thought you were staying out at the Battle Frontier for a while."

Dax sat up and offered Blake a small wave. "I saw the news and I had to come see Delaney," was all he said.

Blake nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. He and Dax weren't really very good at conversations, but they were in agreement when it came to Delaney most of the time. "Are you almost ready to go, Del? I'd like to leave soon."

"Yeah, I just need to close up these suitcases and say goodbye to Dax," she said, biting her bottom lip. He was really going to make her go after all- Delaney had clung to the small hope that the idea of her living with Lydia would drive him insane over the course of the day and he would change his mind.

"Ten minutes," Blake told the two sternly. "You two would take all night if you could, but if you're going to reach Unova by the morning, you have to leave soon." With that, the older man left and Delaney felt a bit of a stinging behind her contacts. She had hated the idea of saying goodbye to Dax- that was why she hadn't wanted to tell him she was leaving in the first place. The lithe blonde boy got up from his space on the rug and sprung over to where Delaney was standing trying to hold back tears. He slammed the door behind her shut and then wrapped the brunette in a huge hug. A couple of rogue tears slipped out of Delaney's eyes, despite her resistance and she wrapped her arms tightly around Dax's small frame.

"I can't believe I'm not going to be able to barge in on you anymore," the blonde boy said with a chuckle. "You are my home away from home, Delaney Christa Caldwell, and I'm going to miss you. I'm also going to really miss saying your name all the time."

"I'm going to miss you too," Delaney said into his shoulder. "What am I going to do without you randomly showing up and questioning me like I'm in trouble?"

"You're just going to find someone else's questions to avoid," he muttered with a wry grin.

Delaney unburied her head from Dax's shoulder. "You're going to call me still, right? Because I'm definitely going to call you."

"Of course. If I run into that guy somewhere other than the Tower and," he lowered his voice and wriggled his eyebrows playfully, "decide to give him a _proper __hello_, who else do you think I would run to?" Despite the somber mood, Delaney was forced to laugh. "Just try to make the best of it out there. Despite the fact that you'll be with Lydia, Unova still has potential. It might be good for you to get out of here."

Delaney shook her head. "There is nothing good about this place as far as I can tell. Daddy said it was a small town. It probably has like, two houses. And like you said, I'll be stuck with Lydia."

"Just try to keep your head up, okay, Del?" he asked her pleadingly. He gave her a final squeeze and pulled away from the hug. "I've got to go. I'm visiting Mom before I go back up to the Battle Frontier and I have just enough time to get there if I leave now."

Delaney nodded. "Call me?"

"Call you," he promised. With that, the boy with the green scarf opened the door and hurried out of it as quickly as he had come in. Delaney was left with an unsettling ache as she watched him go. She shut the door and proceeded to glance at the suitcases she had packed with dread.

This was it. _Goodbye__ home._


	4. 04: Tell Me I'm Dreaming

**Chapter 04: Tell Me I'm Dreaming**

Without opening her eyes, Delaney could imagine the room she was in. Bigger than the living room of some people's houses, it was adorned with various shades of pink, with a few accent pieces of turquoise thrown in for good measure. On one end of the room was a large closet that held outfits that were no longer worn and on the opposite end was a large shoe collection, also, for the most part, unworn. In the middle of the room, against the back wall, was a queen-sized bed, where Delaney was crashed out, long blonde hair strewn across down-filled pillows, crouched in the fetal position, because despite the fact that her giant comforter was warm, the house was always an icebox and pretty much hugging herself was the only way she could fall asleep.

As she laid there, she became slowly became aware that this wasn't the case at all. She attempted to stretch one leg out, a leg that would've had plenty of room on her old queen-sized mattress, but it was hanging off the one that she was laying on. The blanket had been hastily thrown off in the middle of the night, the bedroom simply too hot to even consider using it. The pillows were flat, and the previous two mornings, when Delaney had seen brown hair resting by where her hand was laying on the pillow, she had screamed, forgetting that the hair was indeed her own.

Welcome to Nuvema.

Delaney was rather disappointed to be waking up yet again in the small room, where she was certain bug-type pokemon were hanging out in the shadows, just waiting for her to let her guard down and then attack. Of course, her oshawott could always take them on, but they would still scare her half-to-death. There would definitely be tears. Definitely.

An irate Delaney climbed out of her bed, nearly stepping on Oshawott, who was sleeping on the side of her bed on top of a pile of old clothes (his choice, not Delaney's), in the process. She left the small room and entered the even smaller bathroom (seriously- her closet was bigger than this). She jumped a bit as she caught her sleep-rumpled reflection. The brown hair on top of her head would never cease to surprise her after being so blonde all of her life. After her daily morning battle, in which she debated with herself about actually having to wear the blue contacts or not, she reluctantly put them in, covering up her favorite feature. She slipped out of the extremely large t-shirt she had slept in and threw on a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top. Lazily, she slipped her brunette locks into a high ponytail, not wanting to deal with having to style her hair for a bunch of people that frankly weren't worth it. And as she looked in the mirror again, Delaney had to sigh. Delaney Christa Caldwell wouldn't have been caught dead looking like this (partially because she wouldn't be caught dead as a brunette- yeah, she really just couldn't get over mourning the loss of her blonde hair). For Christa White, though, as she was known here in Unova, she didn't look half bad, especially considering the day she had ahead of her.

And what did she have ahead of her? Not a damn thing.

Whereas in Sinnoh, Delaney had a list miles long of stupid things to do to keep herself occupied, in Unova, Christa had not a single thing. She had no desire to meet the resident professor of the town, partially because Lydia was pushing her daughter to, and she wasn't about to do something Lydia wanted her to do, and partially because she recognized the name from Alex's letter and she wasn't at all eager to dig into his story since leaving. For all she knew, Alex had stolen Oshawott from Professor Juniper and the professor would want her pokemon back upon seeing it, and seeing as how Oshawott was really all she had here in Nuvema, she didn't want to risk having to give him back.

And of course, the one time she had attempted going for a jog, she had accidentally run into the middle of a pokemon battle between the only other people her own age that resided in the town. To make a long story short, Delaney was not eager to repeat the experience.

Not that they were bad- okay, maybe they were. The boy, whose name Delaney couldn't remember (maybe he hadn't even told her), had looked as smug as his weird green lizard pokemon, with black hair even straighter than her own hitting his chin and a pair of glasses sitting on the brim of his nose. His clothing was flawlessly pressed, starched to utter perfection. He had ignored Delaney for the most part, choosing to focus on the battle ahead of him instead, and then becoming irritated when the girl he was battling lost all interest in the battle.

His opponent, who Delaney learned through her incessant chattering was actually his childhood best friend, had bright, glittering blue eyes, blonde hair and from what Delaney could tell, the energy level of a pachirisu eating candy. Delaney couldn't help but be reminded of Dax as the girl (Bianca, she said her name was) yammered on in a chipper fashion, but not the Dax she had come to regard as her best friend- the Dax that she met in Eterna City who had talked for fifty minutes straight before letting Delaney even introduce herself- the Dax that had gotten on her nerves. To Delaney's relief, the black-haired boy seemed equally irritated and after about fifteen minutes, told Bianca to stop talking and finish up their battle. Delaney couldn't help but notice that merely moments later, he unceremoniously trumped her and her little orange pig, which Delaney was assuming was a fire-type, making the win even more impressive... Though not as impressive as it would've been if his opponent hadn't been a girl who was distracted by a leaf falling in front of her.

When it came down to it, when Delaney's choices were to go jogging and risk running into the pair again or to stay in her room and talk to Oshawott like she was absolutely crazy, she preferred being shut up inside. Because after all, there was a third alternative, but she would rather willingly go sit down and let Bianca chat her ear off than have to stoop to that level.

Option #3: Talk to Lydia. Ew.

After all, what were they supposed to do? Bake cookies and chit chat about how Lydia had totally abandoned her only daughter to live in this little wasteland of a town? No thank you. Delaney had managed to escape much conversation with the woman so far, though Delaney had noticed that when her hair was brown like it was now, they looked oddly similar (yet another reason to hate her brunette locks). Lydia had asked if she wanted to meet Professor Juniper, and she had said no. She had asked if Delaney had met any friends, and she had said no. She had asked if Delaney had gone exploring outside of the town yet, and she had said no.

Though to be honest, what laid outside the town's limits couldn't be as bad as what was inside of them.

Delaney grumpily stalked from the small bathroom back to the small bedroom, where Oshawott had woken up and was in a chipper mood. He had jumped from the pile of clothes where he had made a makeshift bed to Delaney's small, uncomfortable bed and was bouncing up and down. At least _he_ knew how to amuse himself here- actually, he had just been in better spirits since they had arrived in Unova, confirming that this was definitely where Alex had gotten him. His high spirits were definitely a far cry from Delaney's sour mood, though currently Oshawott was the only thing cheering her up even remotely.

He stopped bouncing when Delaney walked in the room, sitting on the bed with a happy little smile on his face, pretty much forcing the irate girl to smile back at him. She plopped on the bed next to her pokemon and sighed. Though she was still pretty sure that Oshawott wasn't overly fond of her, they had reached some sort of understanding since moving to Unova, both of them realizing that it was entirely possible that Oshawott was going to be Delaney's only friend in Unova, whether Oshawott liked it or not. Delaney looked over at the small pokemon and chuckled a bit to herself. "You can go back to jumping on the bed if you want," she told him. "I really don't mind. There's not much you could do to make it more uncomfortable. Maybe if you break it, Lydia will break down and buy a new one." _Which__ would __be__ the __highlight __of __her __stay__ here, __actually._ Then it would be more than possible to actually stay in this room at all times. The Oshawott was more than happy to listen and resumed its bouncing, a grin breaking out on his face again.

She was so focused on Oshawott and her idea of the small pokemon breaking her bed so that she could get a new one that she almost didn't notice when a crimson pokemon crawled out from under the bed slowly, it's large yellow eyes narrowed, angry that something was disturbing it's sleep by jumping on the bed. "Didn't I promise you a nickname, Oshawott?" Delaney said, blissfully unaware of what was about to go down. "I guess I never got around to that before we left. How about... Oshy? No, you might evolve one day and if your new name doesn't have 'osh' in there somewhere, it's going to sound pretty stupid. This nicknaming thing is harder than I remember." She paused, stuck in her thoughts for a moment. She racked her brain for possible names. "Water names are so cliché," she thought out loud. "How about... Perry?" A random name, but nonetheless, it kind of worked for the small Pokemon, and it wasn't dependent on the name Oshawott or its type, which was good for Delaney considering she knew nothing about the oshawott evolution line, nor if it gained a type upon evolution or any of that weird stuff. "I like Perry, do you like Perry?" she asked Oshawott. It hopped off her pillow and flew through the air... And off the bed. Perry landed with a crunch and Delaney hopped off her bed quickly, worried that the Oshawott had somehow hurt itself.

Perry was fine, but what it had landed on was not. The magenta bug was pissed, even more pissed than it had been and ready to attack. Delaney screamed. Her fear of bug pokemon in this room had been realized and the fact that she knew it (_she __knew __it!)_did not make this any better. It opened its mouth, showing off its fangs. "Oh crap," Delaney muttered. This was worse than she had imagined. "Um, Perry, I don't know what attacks you have or anything, but anything can tackle, right? Yeah, most first-stage Pokemon get tackle or scratch, but it doesn't look like you have claws, so we'll go with tackle. You just have to kind of slam into something? Do that." The unruffled oshawott looked back at his trainer, confused to her obvious anxiety, but nonetheless followed her orders, slamming it's small blue body into the bug, who, though mostly uninjured, seemed slightly offended that the water-type would dare attack it.

Delaney's bedroom door flung open, revealing a tall, thin woman with brown hair and violet eyes (similar to the ones Delaney was now hiding with contacts) in a salmon colored t-shirt and jeans with an alarmed look on her face, which went away almost immediately upon a quick analysis of the situation. "Vinny, _that's_ where you've been hiding!" she said with a sigh, shuffling across the room and grabbing the small bug, which had become quite docile since her entry into the room. "What have I told you about hiding out in the bedrooms?" Lydia scolded gently. Delaney looked at her incredulously.

"That's yours?" she asked, a lot more shrilly than she had originally intended. "You have a bug pokemon?" Not that Lydia had been high on Delaney's good list anyways, but she had definitely lost cool points for this one.

"Somebody left him with Professor Juniper a couple years ago, and when her lab started to get too full, she tried to send him back but he wouldn't take it. He told her to just give it away. Neither Cheren nor Bianca wanted it, so she asked if I did. It was a bit lonely here by myself so I figured I might as well. I haven't been able to find him for a few days. I was worried that a pidove or a woobat may have gotten him, but I guess he's been hiding out in here," Lydia explained.

If Delaney were in a better mood, the fact that Lydia had taken in an unwanted pokemon may have made her at least respect her a little bit more. Unfortunately for Lydia, Delaney was already grumpy _and_ she didn't like bug pokemon very much (and of the ones she did like, scary little red ones that hid under her bed were not among them). "Please try to keep it out of here," she muttered and with that, she flopped back down on the uncomfortable twin mattress, ready to spend another day avoiding Lydia, as well as the rest of the citizens of Nuvema Town.

"Is that an oshawott?" Lydia asked, an air of puzzlement unmistakable in her voice. "I didn't realize they had them in Sinnoh."

Of course they didn't. Delaney knew that, and Lydia knew that. This was all Lydia just trying to get Delaney to open up, and Delaney could see that without even having to look at her. "He's from Unova, you know there are no oshawott in Sinnoh," she said, sitting up and looking at the woman. "I got him from a friend. His name is Perry."

To Delaney's absolute shock and irritation, Perry hobbled over to Lydia and looked up at her with a big smile. Did the Oshawott just like _everybody_ better than his own trainer or something? Delaney was the only one so far not to get a smile upon introduction. "Hello there Perry," Lydia said to the small water-type pokemon with a smile. "I didn't realize you were staying here too. I'm Delaney's mother, Lydia."

"In theory," Delaney muttered under her breath, quickly growing more and more irate. The words didn't escape Lydia's ears and she frowned, taking a step back as if Delaney was about to hit her. "I guess Vinny and I will be downstairs," she said, offering the teenager a small smile. "Do you feel like having lunch? You haven't had much to eat since you've been here."

"No," Delaney responded, lying back down again. Without any further words, Lydia walked out the door and headed back downstairs, the devil bug in her arms. The brunette girl stayed completely still on her bed, her thoughts wandering to every subject imaginable. Eventually, she felt herself drifting away to sleep (despite the fact that she had only been awake for about a half hour) but as soon as she had almost successfully drifted back to sleep, she heard the front door loudly shut, stirring her from her state of (almost) sleep.

"Sorry to bug you, Ms. White." The blonde girl from a couple days before, Bianca, was the one speaking and Delaney panicked a bit, knowing that Lydia was probably going to come up and introduce her to the two without realizing that Delaney had already met them. "Professor Juniper told us that you may have a spare map or two from your traveling days, and we were wondering if we could borrow them."

"I actually have three," Delaney could hear Lydia say with a chuckle in her voice. "You tell people that you're about to leave on a journey and they all assume you're going to get lost in the wilderness, so you end up getting more maps than you'll ever need. I used to have more, but the rest were either lost or ruined." She paused. "Are you two finally leaving for your journeys?"

"Yes!" squealed Bianca. "Me and Tepig are finally going to go out into the world! I've been trying to convince my dad to let me go for weeks, but since tepig is getting a bit stronger, he's finally stopped saying no… Well, more like my mom has finally stopped him from saying no."

"Tepig and I," somebody corrected her. The boy from the battle, obviously, the one with the green lizard thing. "Not me and Tepig, Tepig and I."

"Cheren, stop being so boring," Bianca said lightly. "Who cares about grammar right now? This is one of the most important days of our lives!"

Lydia chuckled. "I wish I could talk Christa into going with you two. She's been so bored here."

"Is that the new girl? I thought you two looked alike!" Bianca chirped. "We met her the other day. She's very quiet."

"I didn't realize she was a trainer," the boy (who Delaney was now assuming was Cheren) cut in before Lydia could answer. "She didn't have any with her when we saw her."

"She only has an oshawott right now," Lydia answered. "But she's a good trainer. I know she would like traveling in Unova if only I could convince her to go. She did some traveling when she lived with her dad, but for some reason, she refuses to go now."

"Maybe she could come with us!" Bianca said excitedly. Without even seeing her, Delaney could practically see the wheels turning in her head... And Lydia's. _Oh __please, __Arceus, __no._ Enough of her choices lately had been made for her. The last thing she needed was for Lydia to decide that Bianca's idea was the best she had ever heard.

"That's hardly a good idea, Bianca," Cheren said. Despite the fact that she agreed with him (seriously, what a horrible idea), Delaney was slightly offended at his tone. What gave him the right to not like her? He had completely ignored her the one time they had met. "She seemed to like to be alone."

"Well Cheren, maybe if we became her friends, she would like people more. It must be lonely to be in a new town where you don't know anybody," Bianca argued, as if she really wanted Delaney to accompany them.

"I think Christa needs to do things at her own pace," Lydia jumped in. While Delaney appreciated that she wasn't going to force her into traveling with the duo, she had to wonder- how much did her father tell Lydia about what had happened in Sinnoh? Obviously not everything- Blake himself didn't know everything. "Maybe one day she'll be ready to leave, but I don't think she can handle it right now. She needs to get used to Unova first."

_I don't think she can handle it? **How**** dare ****she?**_

Delaney was fuming. _I__ don't __think__ she__ can __handle __it?_ She could handle defeating Team Galactic, facing the Elite Four of Sinnoh and being forced to move to a wasteland of a town with a mother that you could hardly consider a mother, but she couldn't handle a damn pokemon journey? _Way__ to __prove __that __you __know __nothing __about __your __own __daughter, __Lydia._

Despite the fact that stomping downstairs would just prove that she had been eavesdropping, which was pretty rude, that was exactly what Delaney did after putting Perry into a pokeball and grabbing her old pink bag from her days of traveling in Sinnoh, which had been half-mindedly thrown into one of her few boxes (Dax had packed it, she was guessing). With her prized sneakers on her feet, Delaney looked the part of a trainer again, even if she didn't feel it.

Lydia, Cheren and Bianca all did a double-take as Delaney came barreling down the stairs with a look of rage across her face. Her destination was the door.

_Seriously, how dare she?_

"Christa, what are you doing?" Lydia asked, puzzled.

She spun around. "I'm going on a pokemon journey," she said defiantly. "Even though _you_ don't think I'm capable of it. You obviously know nothing about me." Cheren and Bianca definitely didn't, so both were staring at her like she had gone absolutely mad. She moved her gaze to Cheren. "And I didn't want to travel with you guys anyways."

She stomped past them and swung the door open and before she knew it, she was running across the center of the town, passing houses of people she didn't know or care about, passing what was obviously Professor Juniper's lab (which she also cared nothing about) and then suddenly she was out on route 1. She still didn't have a pokedex, and she knew nothing about the pokemon of Unova. She didn't have a map or a clue where she was going. She had some money, and some supplies, but not enough to last a terribly long time. She hadn't grabbed another set of clothes in her haste. All she had was herself and Perry, and enough supplies to keep them safe for at least a couple days.

And then it hit her. Despite all of her protests of the last six months, despite the fact that she wasn't particularly keen on battling anymore and despite the fact that she _really_ didn't want to be in Unova, she was traveling once again.

"Fuck, I don't want to do this," she muttered to herself, but after letting her anger get the best of her and making such a scene, she couldn't just go back. And if she did that, she ran the risk of Cheren and Bianca getting ahead of her and that was _not_an option. "Damn."

What other choice did she have? She headed to the north, hoping to Arceus that she wouldn't get lost in the wilderness and that she would make it to a town by the evening. She really didn't want to have to camp, and she didn't bring any camping supplies anyways. "Here we go," she said under her breath and with great hesitation, she took her first step into the grass.


	5. 05: Are You on My Side?

**Chapter 05: Are You on My Side?**

Fact: Unova nights are nothing like Sinnoh nights.

Back in the days of before Team Galactic had been a threat, Delaney Caldwell had simply been a trainer, a naive fifteen year old girl with wide violet eyes and long platinum blonde hair, eagerly challenging gyms with a mischievous Chimchar and a competitive Shinx who sulked when he lost a battle. She had cried when she got her first badge out of sheer excitement. She had also cried the first time she had been forced to camp outside, because most parts of Sinnoh were pretty cold at night and she hadn't known how to set up a tent. Even after she had learned to wear layers at night, she hadn't gotten into the idea and eventually she began flying back home most nights, considering how close many cities in Sinnoh were. Besides, Marvel loved journeys and he was excited to go out flying for a couple hours each day.

Right about now, Delaney was missing the old days, mainly because she wouldn't have minded flying back to her father's house in Sinnoh on her Togekiss right about now. After getting lost twice (which, considering how small of a route connected Nuvema and Accumula, was a bit impressive), an exhausted sixteen year old brunette with twigs in her hair from her (mis)adventures of the day rolled into Accumula Town a little bit before sunset. A peaceful small town, it was certainly strange for it's size, with most of it's citizens sporting what looked like medieval knight costumes, completely with shields marked with a turquoise P.

Meh, maybe it was a festival of some sort.

Delaney's first destination was, naturally, the Pokemon Center. She was surprised to note many differences from the centers of Sinnoh, most notably the fact that their Pokemon Centers and Poke Marts were combined to make one super building for trainers. It also looked like it had more space for lodging, which Delaney was happy to see, as she could remember a couple instances in Sinnoh where there had been no rooms available and she had been forced to stay in one of the local motels or hotels, which didn't cater to teenage Pokemon trainers like the Pokemon Centers did, many of the inhabitants being more than a little sketchy. At this rate though, Delaney would have been grateful for one of those motels though. No camping equipment meant that staying outside would have been an absolute nightmare.

Forcing a smile on her face, Delaney greeted the nurse on duty and asked for a room for the night. "Of course!" said the chipper nurse with a smile. "Can I see your trainer registration? Or do you need to fill that out?"

Naturally she had one, but presenting her trainer card with a clear picture of notorious blonde-haired trainer Delaney Caldwell was probably not a good idea in this situation. Instead Delaney shook her head and said, "I don't have one yet. Today's the first day of my journey," with an oddly-high pitched voice. Despite the fact that she was nearly seventeen, she definitely sounded like she was twelve.

"Well congratulations, sweetie!" The blonde nurse handed her a clipboard with a couple of forms on it. "Can I see your Pokemon to heal it while you fill that out?"

"Oh, yes, please!" Delaney said, reaching in her pink shoulder bag for Perry's Poke Ball. He didn't really need to be healed, seeing as how Delaney hadn't used him to battle, well, ever, but it couldn't hurt to let the nurse take him. She handed the ball over and took a seat in the lobby with her clipboard.

_Name._ Well, that was easy enough... for most people. With a small grimace, Delaney filled in the name Christa White. Her middle name and her mother's maiden name. It was her Unova moniker, which she hated, but she had to get used to.

_Age and birth date. _16, as of February 3rd. She had turned sixteen soon after collecting her third badge in Sinnoh. She had celebrated with Dax. She hadn't intended to, but after the nurse-on-duty in the Pokemon Center had wished her a happy birthday after checking her trainer card, the excitable blonde boy had insisted that the two go binge on desserts and talk. That was the night that Delaney had realized that he was thankfully a lot less annoying than she had originally thought.

She would be seventeen in less than six months. Funny how things had changed.

_Pokemon._ Back when she had been training to fight Team Galactic, this section on her card had been pretty impressive. Blitzkrieg, the Infernape, her main Pokemon. Samuel, the competitive Shinx turned hardcore perfectionist Luxray. Bellby, the slow as molasses but powerful Bronzong. Marvel, once a curious egg, had turned into a majestic Togekiss by that point. Hazel, the chipper pink Gastrodon who had taken out Cynthia's Lucario with one powerful earthquake, but had fallen to her Garchomp before launching a single attack. And Grover, the jolly Abomasnow with unmatched perseverance or heart.

Delaney felt a lump forming in her throat. Did she ever miss them. Now, instead of writing in their names, she only wrote one. _Oshawott. Male. Nickname: Perry._

She left _trainer classification_ blank. She wasn't quite sure what kind of trainer she was anymore. And with that, she got up from her seat and returned to the counter, where the nurse was waiting with Perry, who was quite confused as to where they were and what they were doing there. Delaney couldn't explain it very well, as they were both questions she only knew bits of each answer to. As the nurse went to create a trainer card for her, Delaney and Perry took a seat in the lobby again, and the brunette watched the trainers coming in and out of the Pokemon Center with fascination. The idea that Cheren or Bianca were more likely than not to make an appearance by the end of the night stuck in her mind as well, something she hoped wouldn't happen.

"Christa?" a pleasant soprano voice rang out. Delaney looked from trainer to trainer for a couple of moments before she remembered that Christa was indeed her. She hopped up from her seat, Perry following suit, and walked back to the counter again, where the chipper nurse was standing with a small laminated square in her hand. "Here's your trainer card. And you said you needed a room for the night, correct? Let me go grab you a room key from the back."

The small grin that spread upon Delaney's face upon getting that small laminated square from the nurse was really quite stupid, considering this journey was a sham compared to her previous travels in Sinnoh. However, it made the idea that Christa wouldn't be going back to Nuvema Town a solid one and that was enough to make this moment at least a little awesome. She glanced down at Perry with a grin on her face. The Oshawott was still a little confused, but he would figure everything out soon enough.

The nurse returned a moment later with a brass key on a blue wristband in her right hand. She passed it on to Delaney. "Room 201!" she informed her. "It's on the next level. Our cafeteria on this level is open until nine, and there are a few restaurants in town that you can visit as well. If you have any more questions, please let me know. Otherwise, have a nice night!" Another trainer entered the Pokemon Center then, a girl with bright green hair who nudged Delaney hard, getting the girl out of her way in order to catch the nurse's attention. "Hi, can I help you?"

Delaney took that as her cue to leave. "What do you think, Perry?" she asked the Oshawott as they walked away from the counter. "Should we head to the cafeteria here or find one of the restaurants around town?"

"Wott!" the Oshawott proclaimed and began toddling towards the automatic doors of the Pokemon Center.

Delaney chuckled. "I guess we're going to go exploring then!" And with that, the two headed out the doors. Delaney's eyes scanned the small town, looking for anything resembling a restaurant. Instead of a place to get food though, Delaney's eyes found a giant gathering in the center of the town. The curious brunette picked up her Oshawott so that he wouldn't be trampled in the crowd and headed to where what seemed like the bulk majority of the town was standing.

The members of the crowd weren't wearing the silly medieval costumes that the people she had seen upon entering town had been wearing, so Delaney assumed that they had changed out of their outfits. Maybe this place wasn't totally backwards after all.

The people in front of them were still dressed like rejects of a renaissance fair (or was it faire?), though, and the one taking center stage was wearing what looked like a blanket (an odd blanket at that, with two giant eyeballs on it) with sleeves and an eyepiece. His long mint-green hair cascaded down his back in waves and a smirk resided on his face. He was one of the oddest looking men Delaney had ever seen, but instead of laughing, Delaney was slightly afraid, though she didn't know why.

Ooh, maybe these were street performers.

That was the most logical answer, or at least to Delaney. In the summertime, the streets of Hearthrome had been full of them. Jugglers, contortionists, palm readers, dancers... Of course, it was September now, and summer merriment had long since died down, but seeing as how Unova was quite a bit warmer than Sinnoh had been, it was entirely possible to still participate in fun activities outside. Maybe it was some sort of autumn festival?

The man in the blanket stood regally in front of the crowd and cleared his throat. Almost immediately, the chattering of the crowd ceased, all eyes on the odd man. Perry climbed on to Delaney's shoulders. Even the Oshawott desired a better look at what was going on. "My name is Ghetsis," he began. Ghetsis? What kind of name was that? It made sense, though- the man was definitely too odd to rock a moniker like Steve, or George. "I am here representing Team Plasma."

Oh no.

Delaney instantly flashed back to the earlier times again, for what seemed like the millionth time that day. But now instead of fondly remembering her beloved Pokemon or the house that she had grown up in, Delaney's mind was full of images of the impeccably strange Team Galactic, with their bizarre costumes and hats. Their crazy desires of a new world.

Alex.

Delaney forced herself away from those thoughts. After all, Team Plasma could just be a clever name for a traveling theater troupe, right? Right? The bizarrely dressed man paid no attention to the sickened girl in the crowd, instead reveling in the spotlight. "Today, ladies and gentleman, I'd like to talk to you about Pokemon liberation."

"What?" she heard somebody ask sharply.

"What is this freak talking about?" asked another, deeper voice. Delaney glanced around the crowd, trying to gauge their reactions. She caught the eye of a boy with the long tea-green hair and piercing green eyes that, for some reason, unnerved her. She looked away, her gaze returning to the man on stage.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However..." He paused for dramatic emphasis. "Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that we humans only assume this is the truth?"

A small girl in the crowd looked defiantly around her. "It is the truth. I love my Pup. We're partners," she said to anyone that would listen to her. Ghetsis heard her and chuckled.

"Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers. They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work," he said, addressing the child directly. Delaney thought of Marvel with a pang in her chest. He had certainly gotten 'pushed around' as being a part of her team. "Can anybody say with confidence there is no truth to what I'm saying?"

The entire crowd was silent.

The smirk on his face grew. "Now ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have a lot to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokemon?"

In truth, his speech was not bad. The idea that Pokemon were pushed around too hard was not a new one. It was a truth that all trainers had to embrace at some point, but they could choose not to battle. Pokemon trained, they fought, they _desired_ to become stronger because they wanted to. It was a trainer's responsibility to tap into that potential the best they could. It was also a trainer's responsibility to nurture, care for and ultimately respect their Pokemon like they would a human being. Or at least that was what Delaney thought, but this wasn't her speech.

"We must liberate the Pokemon!" he declared in a booming voice. "Then, and only then, will humans and Pokemon be truly equals! Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokemon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

"We should release our Pokemon?" a panicked young boy cried out. "But I just got my Cottonee yesterday!"

"No," a man, presumably his father, said absentmindedly. "Just another band of weirdos who haven't been hit by reality yet."

"Do you think he's right?" a middle-aged woman asked the people surrounding her. Nobody answered her; the group was beginning to disperse and head back to their homes. Only Delaney, still trying to process what had just happened, and the green-haired boy whom she had seen in the crowd, remained standing there before long.

"A crock of shit," muttered an old man to her left, slowly wandering away.

There was something not right about this.

The look in that man's eyes. She had seen the same look in the eyes of another, and only one other- Cyrus. Not that he had been downright hostile or acted crazy like the leader of Team Galactic had, but what he was doing, it had an edge of manipulation to it. Delaney seriously doubted that his motives were as pure as simply releasing Pokemon so they wouldn't get hurt.

"Your Pokemon says interesting things." Delaney was surprised out of her thoughts by the other trainer that had stayed behind. Now that the crowd was gone, Delaney took a closer look at him. He was one of the tall and gangly, one of the tallest people she had seen (but then again, as a short person, she was a bit impartial when it came to tall people). Fading brown corduroy pants covered his long legs (Delaney had never before been so jealous of a guy's legs) and a white-button down shirt dressed his upper body. Unlike the man on stage, Ghetsis, this boy's hair wasn't down (though it was the same odd shade of mint green)- it was thrown messily into a ponytail. A black and white hat adorned his head, and an odd geometric necklace topped off the outfit.

In all honesty, she hadn't even realized she wasn't alone. She had even forgotten that her confused Oshawott was resting on her shoulders. "Pardon?" she asked, confused. Was he talking about Perry? He thought Perry had said something to him? How silly- Perry hadn't cried out even remotely. He was just as silent as his trainer.

The boy's face fell. "Oh, you can't hear it either," he stated. "How sad. My name is N."

N? What kind of name was that? That wasn't a name, it was a letter. Maybe it was like how some boys with J names just called themselves Jay. It was probably short for something like Nathan or... some other N name. "I'm D...efinitely not hearing what you're hearing," she said quickly, catching herself before she introduced herself as Delaney. Delaney Caldwell wasn't supposed to be in Unova- as far as anybody in Sinnoh (or anybody else for that matter) knew, she was still _privately training._ "I'm Christa," she told him with a small smile. She attempted to meet his gaze, but found it too unnerving. His green eyes were oddly piercing.

"You're a trainer," he said almost accusingly, shifting his attention to Perry on her shoulders. "I'm a trainer, too, but I can't help wondering... Are Pokemon really happy that way?"

"So you believe what that guy was saying," Delaney interpreted. "If you think Pokemon would be better liberated, why do you have them?"

"I catch them to make friends with them," N stated, the tone of his voice raising ever so slightly. Great, Delaney had offended the first person she had conversed with in the region of Unova. "You don't think that Pokemon liberation is a good idea?"

"I don't know, but I don't think I should be taking advice from a guy wearing a blanket," Delaney joked. When N didn't laugh, she felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. So she had offended him, and now he probably thought she was stupid. Her track record for making friends in this place was just stupendous.

Instead of looking angry though, N looked thoughtful. "Christa, did you say it was?" The brunette merely nodded, wondering if he was going to yell at her. "I'd like to hear your Pokemon's voice again." Well, he was polite, if nothing else. And with that, he pulled a Poke Ball off of his belt and enlarged it.

Oh, he wanted to _battle._

Delaney nervously bit her lip. "Well, Perry, I've never battled with you, but I'm sure you can rock it!" she said. She grabbed the Oshawott from off of her shoulders and placed him on the ground. "I believe in you!" she added for good measure, hoping to inspire the small Water-type. To say she was a bit anxious was an understatement. She had no idea how this was going to go. Not a clue.

N threw his Poke Ball out there. "Come on out, my friend!" he yelled. A spry purple cat was released, eying Perry with a bit of a smirk on his face. His tail was twitching, meaning he was probably ready to pounce. Delaney had never seen a Pokemon who was so confident, but she supposed his self-assurance only matched his trainer's, who was smiling, clearly excited to battle.

Perry looked up at Delaney, nowhere near as self-assured as the feline with the twitchy tail or the trainer controlling him. "Just do your best," Delaney pleaded, blue eyes wide. "That's all I can ask from you, Perry."

"Osh!" the small Pokemon said with a smile, a rare thing to be directed at Delaney. The grin was contagious, spreading to Delaney's face as well. Maybe this wasn't going to turn out as badly as she thought.

The cat Pokemon began to circle the small area they were battling in, tail still twitching, gaze never leaving his opponent. Delaney was sure that once he crossed behind Perry that he was going to strike, but he didn't. After a few moments of silence, the Pokemon having their own nonverbal spar, Delaney was starting to go crazy. This was not how battles went. In battles, there were actions. This was mind games, and she was not going to put up with that. "Okay, Perry, tackle that cat!"

"Purrloin, you're faster than that Oshawott. Dodge it, and use your scratch attack!" N said calmly with a smile on his face. Perry, cowering and nervous after the Purrloin's previous tactics, was slower than he usually was, and the Purrloin moved faster than he could hope to, swooping in and scratching the Oshawott before Perry even knew what was going on.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't going well after all.

Delaney's hands were balled into fists at her sides, panicking a bit. "It's okay, Perry!" she shouted. "You can still do this! We haven't lost yet!" Perry looked up at her and gave her a quick nod. "Okay, let's tackle that... Purrloin!" she said enthusiastically, hoping that she had called the opponent Pokemon by the right name, and mentally cursing the cranky old Professor Rowan for the fact that she didn't have a PokeDex to figure that out herself. "Slam into it as hard as you can!"

The small Pokemon hurled itself at the violet cat, who was surprised by the Oshawott's sudden tenacity. Purrloin was knocked back a few steps, the attack hitting hard than anybody expected it to. N blinked a couple of times, surprised. "I've never heard a Pokemon say such things," he muttered. "Okay, Purrloin, I think you can finish it off with a final scratch attack. Let's do it!"

But unlike the first attack, Perry was prepared. As the nimble Purrloin sprung towards him at full speed and released his claws, preparing to strike, Perry grabbed the shell off of his stomach and held it up like a shield. Instead of striking the sea otter Pokemon, he ran face first into the shell, missing him completely.

Delaney's eyes widened. "Whoa!" she yelled excitedly. "That was awesome!"

Purrloin got up promptly, it's smirk replaced with a glare. N was no longer quite as chipper either, but he still maintained his composure, unlike his opponent, who was so full of glee it was hard not to dance. "We can still win this, my friend," his trainer said. "You're much faster. Circle him again until he gets dizzy and then strike."

The limber purple cat did precisely that, weaving around Oshawott, circling him like a Sharpedo at sea circling his prey. Oshawott attempted to follow Purrloin, but couldn't keep up with him, becoming dizzy. "Perry, try to jump up and out of his circle!" Delaney yelled, but alas, it was too late. The cat's scratch this time was powerful, knocking the sea otter Pokemon on his back. Perry tried to sit back up, but didn't succeed.

Delaney ran to the side of her partner. "Perry!" she cried. "Are you okay?" The Oshawott lifted his head and nodded in an attempt to calm down his trainer, but still ultimately couldn't get up. Delaney reached for his Poke Ball on her belt and recalled him. She reached into her pocket to grab money for N, but the green-haired trainer was already walking away. Delaney ran, reaching her opponent in only a few strides. "Wait, N! I owe you money! If you'll just wait a minute..."

He looked surprised that she had bothered to run after him. "It's not necessary, Christa. Was that your first battle?"

"With Oshawott, yes," she answered, and then realized what she had said. Delaney Caldwell was no stranger to battles, but Christa White was. "I mean, yes. It was."

"Then consider it practice," he said simply. "I hope to see you again." And with that, he strode off easily, the prize money he had rightfully earned still in Delaney's pocket.

He was an odd one, that N.

Disappointed at losing her first battle in Unova, Delaney began to head back to the Pokemon Center for the night. She fully planned on leaving Perry with whatever nurse was on duty for the night and grabbing a small bite to eat in the cafeteria, if it was even still open. Then she would head on up to her room for a well-deserved sleep. After all, it had been a long, crazy day.

_On days like this, it's inevitably going to rain._

_ Samuel, the Luxio, has a pretty intense burn, thanks to that stupid Ponyta that didn't know when to ease up. It was also partially Samuel's fault, because he refused to give up, but you don't need to tell him that. He's pissed enough because he lost. You'll be lucky if he'll get out of his Poke Ball to battle at all for the next week. Hazel, her Shellos, was lucky enough to win against the fire horse, but a few powerful stomps to her torso means that she's not in the best shape either. The second Ponyta didn't help matters either, and defeated her after only moments. Blitzkrieg, Bellby and Marvel aren't in good shape either, after battling the wild Pokemon of the route. You're closer to Celestic Town than you are Solaceon and it's too far away for you to turn back. Naturally, your blonde self forgot to run to get more supplies before you left, so despite the fact that you have five injured Pokemon, one of them burned, you have only three potions to heal them. You use one on Samuel, but it doesn't do much to help. Another one goes to Marvel, and the final goes to Blitzkrieg. All of them are still exhausted. You need to get to a Pokemon Center ASAP._

_ As droplets begin to fall from the sky and an absolutely delightful fog (at this point, you remind yourself that there's no use being sarcastic in your head) rolls in, you realize that your chances of getting to a Pokemon Center before they close, especially in a sleepy little town like Celestic, are slim to none."I'm so sorry," you mutter to your Poke Balls, hoping that your Pokemon will forgive you. They don't take losing battles very well._

_ The fog seems to be getting thicker by the moment, and that definitely doesn't bode well for your trip to Celestic Town. Despite the fact that you don't like to cry, you can feel the burn of tears in your eyes. This day pretty much sucks._

_ Just when you think it can't get worse, it does and the rain starts coming down so hard that you can barely see in front of you. Despite the fact that you want to give up, you can't. So you keep trudging forward. "Are you okay?" you hear a voice next to you ask. You have to look up at him because he's quite a bit taller than you (but then again, who isn't?). His dark hair is wet, albeit not as wet as yours, sending raindrops dripping down his handsome face, cascading off of his high cheekbones. His deep blue eyes are flashing with concern. "If you're heading to Celestic Town, I'd be more than happy to share my umbrella with you."_

_ "Do you have supplies?" you ask desperately._

_ "What?" he asks. He's yelling, because the rain is coming down so hard, hearing is becoming problematic._

_ "Supplies. My Pokemon are hurt. I need two potions and a burn heal, or a full heal, or something along those lines," you yell back, getting more drenched with every passing moment. The rain isn't your biggest problem though, your Pokemon are. After all, what if you're challenged to another battle and your Pokemon are so weak they can hardly get out of their Poke Balls before collapsing? The handsome stranger reaches into his bag and pulls out three bottles, handing them to you wordlessly. "Thank you," you say breathlessly as you release your Pokemon. You give one of the potions to Bellby, and the other to Hazel and then after putting them back in their balls, you release a very irate Samuel. You apply Burn Heal to his wounds, and he's not feeling much stronger, but at least the burn isn't bothering him any longer. "Thank you so much," you repeat._

_ The guy smiles at you and despite the day you've had, you smile too. "Would you like to accompany me to Celestic Town?" he asks again. "There's room under my umbrella for you."_

_ You nod your head, grateful beyond words that somehow on this crap of a day, you were lucky enough to be stopped by this kind (and good-looking) stranger. "I truly appreciate your kindness," you say with a small smile looking him in the eye. "I'm Delaney."_


	6. 06: Talking in Circles

**Chapter 06: Talking in Circles**

It was still somewhat dark when Delaney woke up in yet another bed in yet another room. This one was a little bit bigger than the one in Nuvema Town, though the sheets were a little bit scratchy and the blanket a little too thin. Delaney couldn't say she cared, though- it wasn't Nuvema Town and that was truly all that mattered at the moment. There was still not enough room for Perry, so the oshawott was curled up in the small armchair next to the door. He wasn't nearly awake as his trainer, who had sprung out of bed with renewed zeal, despite how early it was. Surely everyone else in the center was still sleeping, except maybe the perpetually peppy nurse. A glimpse at the clock didn't deter Delaney though. She carelessly threw her hair into a high ponytail, purposely avoiding mirrors. She knew that if she was to catch sight of herself with messy hair, wearing the same clothes as the day before, she would freak out.

"Perry! Wake up!" she said in a sing-song voice. She grabbed her running shoes (ignoring as always the fact that the laces were badly fraying and the rubber on the outside of the shoe was beginning to peel off) and began to put them on. From his spot on the armchair, Perry lazily opened one eye and looked at the brunette as if she had gone insane. "We're going training!" she told him as she tied the left shoe. "I'm sure most other trainers are still asleep, so that gives you time to spar with some of the wild pokemon." The oshawott still didn't move, other than to close the one eye he had opened. "Seriously, Perry, wake up. If we're going to do this whole journey thing, we're going to need to train. It was stupid of me to keep you from battling. I'm sure with a little more experience, you would've won yesterday." She stood up and grabbed her trainer bag from the nightstand. "You're not going to lose again though! Delaney Caldwell does not lose…" The brunette paused and thought for a moment. "And neither does Christa White."

She reached inside of her bag and grabbed Perry's poke' ball. "I guess you can sleep inside of here for a little while longer until we get to the next route," she muttered, recalling the water pokemon. _Wherever that was._ It certainly was going to be interesting trying to find her way to the next city when she had absolutely no semblance of where she was going. Still doing her best to not look in any mirrors, Delaney did a last quick glance around the room, making sure she hadn't left any of her few possessions behind. At this point, everything she had was crucial to her journey.

The nurse on duty informed Delaney that she wanted to go north. The path to Striaton was fairly simple, she had said. Considering the fact that Delaney had somehow gotten lost in the simple route that connected Nuvema and Accumula, though, she took the woman's word with a grain of salt. _Fairly easy_ usually meant the exact opposite for someone as directionally challenged as Delaney. Despite the brunette's hesitation, she headed off in the direction that the nurse had told her to go.

She felt more than a little triumphant when she reached a guard house, where the guard on duty was far less awake than Delaney herself. Their bright electronic marquees and large screen TVs made the small building far more interesting than any guard house Delaney had seen in Sinnoh. She passed through with a smile to the man on duty, though she only got a sleepy nod in return.

And then? Bam, wilderness.

The early morning air was slightly chilly in autumn, though Delaney wasn't sure if that was what was giving her goosebumps. There wasn't a single other person in sight, and even the wild pokemon were few and far between. She took a few steps forward, the grass rustling under her feet. She looked around eagerly, though she wasn't totally sure what she was looking for. Maybe one of those cats that the boy yesterday had used… Purrloin?

But alas, there was nothing.

Of course, it was just like in Sinnoh- whenever she was looking for pokemon or actually wanted to battle, she could find no opponent, but when she was in a hurry or just didn't feel like battling, she was swarmed. She reached in her bag and pulled out Perry's poke' ball and then pushed the button to release him. Within a few seconds, the oshawott was standing in front of her, yawning. He glanced around lazily for an opponent and, upon finding no one, gave Delaney a confused look. "I thought you might want to help me look for some pokemon to battle," she explained. "I'm sure there's a gym coming up soon and I figured we'd do the whole gym challenge thing like I did back home. Gym battles aren't easy, so we should probably get to training."

Perry looked up at her and blinked twice. Apparently with that last statement, she had confirmed her status as 'crazy'. She wandered further into the grass, mentally pleading for any (yes, _any_) pokemon to come out so that Perry could battle. Striaton City couldn't possibly be too far away, and they had a lot of work to do before Perry was ready to fight in a gym battle.

A rustling in the grass.

Delaney turned her head quickly, but the only thing behind her was Perry, who was still giving her that damn look. "I don't see anything, do you, Perry?"

"I really hope you're not waiting for an answer," a snarky voice rang out. Delaney's eyes widened as a girl with short neon green hair stepped out from behind a tree. She looked oddly familiar to the brunette. "I _thought_ you were scared." As she came closer, Delaney realized that despite the fact that she was a couple inches taller than the girl, she was rather intimidated- maybe it was her harsh red eyes and perpetual scowl. She was wearing a pink spaghetti strap tank top with ruffles on the bust, pink shorts and brown strappy sandals, but Delaney could tell that this was no girly girl that could be taken lightly.

In all honesty, Delaney was a little afraid.

"How long have you been here?" Delaney asked, frowning slightly. Had she been watching Delaney? Had she just appeared? All she had heard was one rustle in the grass. She couldn't have been there too long… right?

"Long enough to hear you babbling like an idiot," the girl said with a roll of her eyes. "Gym challenge? Really? How generic. You silly children are all the same."

_Silly children…_ What was with this girl?

Delaney had never been one to be outright mean to people she didn't know. She really didn't like conversing with strangers at all, actually- trying to figure out what to say to people she didn't know gave her anxiety. Instead of responding with the same attitude she was being given, Delaney opted to be friendly instead. Kill them with kindness, right? "I'm Christa," she said with a smile, sticking her hand out to shake the girl's. The girl raised her eyebrows and just stared at Delaney's hand until it was clear she was not going to get a handshake and a greeting. Delaney returned her hand to its place by her side. "Are you a trainer as well?"

"You could say that," the girl responded with a slight smirk. "Why, you wanna battle? I'm pretty sure you're gonna lose, but I'll still give you the pleasure of battling my pokemon… As long as you don't cry. I hate kids that get whiny when they lose."

_Shit._ She was probably right. They still hadn't battled another pokemon since that N guy. Still, if by some chance Perry did win, there would be some experience for them to go off of for training against the Striaton City gym.

Or you know, this angry-looking girl could let out Cresselia or some shit like that. It would be just Delaney's luck.

"I would love to battle you," Delaney said with the most pleasant smile she could muster, despite the fact that really, she didn't. She hated battling when she didn't know for sure she could win, always had.

Or had she really? The post-Galactic Delaney had developed that attitude, yes, but back in the day, she had been a platinum-haired novice who had battled anyone and everyone she could. Those were the days- back when traveling had been fun and the world hadn't yet been placed on her shoulders. Maybe now that she was journeying again, she needed to take a page out of Delaney Caldwell's book and find the joy in training and battling again.

Or you know, just deal with it and continue with this sham of a journey because she had to.

Or maybe both. Regardless, she had to battle this girl, here and now, all major life and attitude decisions pending. The hostile-looking girl with fiery red eyes was looking at her like she had gone nuts. She tapped her foot impatiently. "I don't have all day. Are we gonna battle or what?"

Without Delaney so much as noticing, her opponent had released a small tan pokemon. Though Delaney wasn't sure what it was called, she had seen them while en route to Accumula Town. She had avoided them then, and she could kick herself for that now- if she had battled then, she would know what she was up against now. Oh, and she probably could've beaten that weird N kid as well.

Damn. Avoidance did _not_ pay off in Unova.

Oh well, at least the girl hadn't had her pokemon begin the fight while Delaney was spacing out. Delaney grinned at Perry, who also probably thought his trainer had lost her mind sometime between the previous night and the current morning, between waking up so early, her random rambling and now her space cadet persona. "Okay, Perry, you ready? Let's win this!"

"Yeah, you try that," the girl snarkily replied with a roll of her eyes. "Lilly, let's start this off right with a solid tackle!"

Delaney smirked, momentarily forgetting that she was once again a novice trainer (and a novice trainer with a current record of 0-1, at that). "Dodge that puppy, Perry!" she yelled cheerfully. Unfortunately, though, the energetic pokemon was quite a bit faster than Perry and the small otter was unable to dodge the tackle, which seemed to hit quite hard.

Yeah, it was time to rethink how she was doing things.

"So speed isn't your strong suit, Perry…" she muttered to herself. The oshawott looked at her with an absolute _duh_ look, as if to say, _you think?_ "Well, if you can't hit them fast, hit them hard, right? Perry, you tackle that dog thing back!"

"Dog thing?" the girl repeated with a raised eyebrow. "You mean lillipup? Either you're dumber than I thought or you're not from around here."

Delaney ignored the girl. Agreeing to either of those things could lead to bad things for Christa White. Instead of getting into a sparring match with the girl, she concentrated on Perry, who had hit the lillipup, though not with the same amount of force. The pokemon had obviously been trained more than Perry had, but that didn't mean all hope was lost.

After all, Delaney Caldwell didn't lose, right?

_"Chimchar, jump up on top of that rock!" A girl with wide violet eyes and hair so blonde it was nearly white stood on the edge of the battlefield of Oreburgh Gym. The leader, a red-haired boy named Roark, had a gleam in his eye said this battle was all but won, but Delaney Christa Caldwell absolutely refused to lose. Of course, she could just train and battle Roark again if she lost, but she had already trained so hard for this! She couldn't lose! _

_Unfortunately, Quackers, a lethargic psyduck she had encountered near the entrance of Oreburgh City, and Samuel, the fiercely competitive Shinx that she had met outside of Jubilife that she had loved from the get-go due to his contagious spark (excuse the electric pokemon pun), had already been knocked out by Roark's team of rock-types (two of whom were also ground-types, unfortunately for Samuel). All that was left so far was Delaney's chimchar, a pokemon who was originally given to her father from Professor Rowan for his trophy garden because of its comparatively weak fire power- up until Delaney begged her father to let her train it and learned that its strength was in its attack, and Roark's cranidos, who seemed to have the upper hand in this battle. After all, it had a type advantage, it was at a higher level and Chimchar was weakened from the geodude that Roark had sent out before his final pokemon. _

"_It has short arms, Chimchar! If you can just get out of its reach, you might be able to let him tire himself out! Climb up that rock wall! Climb as high as you can!" So it was unorthodox. Delaney had a slim chance of winning using traditional methods, so maybe if she got creative…_

"_Cranidos, don't let this monkey outsmart you!" Roark shouted, clearly shocked. "Headbutt the wall! Try to knock it down!"_

"_Just keep a tight grip on the rocks," Delaney called to her chimchar. "Try to use ember, if you can blow the flames without letting go. If you feel your grip loosening, just focus on staying up there where that cranidos can't get you!"_

That. That was precisely what she needed, and what she had begun to lack- creativity.

Back before she had become any sort of powerful, when she had often been on the bad end of type match-ups, she had been forced to resort to some truly odd tactics to winning matches. Logic said she shouldn't have been able to beat Roark's Cranidos with Blitzkrieg (then an unnamed chimchar), but she had. There was no reason why this battle had to be a typical battle between two newbie trainers, where the pokemon who had just a little bit more training was the victor ninety-five percent of the time because of a smidge increase in attack power. Just like back then, logic seemed to state that this haughty girl's lillipup should probably beat Perry.

But there was not a chance in hell that Delaney was going to let that happen.

"Lilly, you're stronger than that oshawott. A couple more tackles and the win is all yours!" Lilly, who was a hair slower after being hit by Perry (maybe Perry had tackled it straight in the knees or something), was otherwise merry and yipped happily at her trainer. Apparently the taste of victory was sweet. She charged full force towards the small otter, ready to tackle him with all her might again.

"Perry, we're not going to let that happen!" Delaney called out to the oshawott, who was looking a little worse for the wear (and slightly discouraged, at that). "Remember what you did when you were battling that purrloin thing yesterday? How you blocked it with her shell? Do that again!"

At first, Perry seemed puzzled as to what his crazy trainer meant, but then he seemed to recall using his shell as a shield to stop Purrloin from scratching it the day before. As Lilly got uncomfortably close to him, Perry grabbed the shell once again and raised it to defend him before the lillipup could get in another devastating tackle. Lilly crashed into the shell facefirst and crumbled to the ground, though only for a second. Perry fell backwards from the force of the attack, though he was unharmed, which was more than one could say for Lilly. The lillipup wasn't so much as hurt as she was shocked, though Delaney was sure her face was at least slightly hurt.

"This is your chance, Perry!" Delaney called out with a giant grin. Her opponent's eyes widened as she realized that her victory was not yet definite. "Your tackle may not be as strong, but that lillipup is distracted and I'm sure you can get in a solid tackle before it gets up!"

The disenchanted, dull look in Perry's eyes had been replaced with a sparkle as it hurled its small body at Lilly. Talk about adding insult to injury- the oshawott had tackled the lillipup with more force than anybody expected (including Perry himself) and though both Delaney and Lilly's trainer stood quietly for a few moments, waiting for the lillipup to get back up, she didn't.

"We won," Delaney muttered to herself, a bit disbelievingly. "Perry," she said, growing more and more excitedly, raising her voice. "We won. Perry, you did it!" For the first time since arriving in Unova, Delaney was truly excited. She had forgotten exactly how thrilling it was to win a battle you thought you were going to lose.

Her opponent, though, was experiencing how it was to lose a battle you thought you were going to win. Her lips were pressed tightly together in irritation, though Delaney had heard her tell Lilly that she wasn't mad when she recalled the puppy pokemon. Delaney could understand her frustration- that exact thing had let to some pretty bad days for her when she was travelling in Sinnoh. After recalling Perry, Delaney walked over to the girl and extended her hand once again to congratulate her for a good battle. Regardless of who won, it _had_ been quite the fight, and though this girl with the neon green hair didn't know it, Delaney was pretty grateful that she had been given a chance to remember how much she had once loved battling.

Again, the girl just glared at Delaney's hand as if the brunette were holding out a fish or something to her instead of offering her a cordial handshake and after a few awkward seconds, Delaney recalled her hand, her face flushing in embarrassment. Maybe she just wasn't a handshake person. "I hope we battle again sometime," Delaney said with a small forced smile. _Seriously, why was this girl so damn rude?_

"I've got to admit, that was a halfway decent strategy," she said, lips still pursed. "You have some potential. Just don't expect to win next time. Cream Megami doesn't lose, especially not to empty-headed little girls like you." And with that, she walked off back in the direction of Accumula Town, head held high.

_Maybe this journey wasn't such a sham after all._

* * *

><p>The thing about starting your day off early was that it seemed extra-long when the day was done. Not that it would've been a short day, anyways, given the hard, long day of training that Delaney and her pokemon had just gone through. Finally, there was a guardhouse in sight, and it was almost time for the day to end. Delaney was sure she wasn't the only one grateful; Perry and her new lillipup, Charlie, had put in a rough day of training against both trainers and wild pokemon. On the plus side, Delaney was pretty sure that if they weren't ready yet to battle at this city's gym, they were damn close.<p>

To Delaney's surprise, her bag began to ring as she took her first step inside the guardhouse. She wondered briefly if she had set off some sort of security alarm, but then realized it was her crosstransceiver- it had been such a long time since it had rang that Delaney had almost forgotten what it sounded like. She picked it up and answered before looking to see who was calling.

Bad move number one, Caldwell.

The face of Lydia White filled the screen. Delaney's first instinct was to hang up. "Wait, hear me out," the woman said quickly, realizing what Delaney's intentions were. "I have-"

Yeah, Delaney Christa Caldwell definitely didn't give a shit. She placed the crosstransceiver back in her bag after clicking off the power. After waving to the guard, she continued on her merry way to Striaton City, all smiles and happiness despite her exhaustion. She was going to have an awesome sleep that night.

"Christa!" she heard somebody yell behind her. _No way…_ The brunette spun around, only to find Lydia running through the door of the guardhouse.

"How did you get here so fast?" Christa asked, puzzled.

"I was already almost to this guardhouse when I called," she explained. Delaney really had nothing to say to that, and so she turned around and began to walk away.

"I know you're mad," Lydia said in a small voice. Delaney stopped where she stood. "But I wasn't trying to say that I didn't think you could be a trainer, Christa. I just thought you might want to get used to being here first. This isn't exactly Sinnoh."

"Really," Delaney said sarcastically. "I had no idea." Again, she turned on her heel and began to walk away from the woman. "Save it, Lydia."

"Will you please stop acting like such a damn child?" Lydia snapped, angry for the first time since Delaney had arrived in Unova. "I came here to bring you a few things." She set down a large canvas bag that Delaney hadn't even noticed she had been carrying. "There are two more sets of your clothes in here. There's also a map of the Unova region in here, since you have no idea where the hell you're going." Lydia was clearly seething. Delaney was more than a little shocked, seeing as how she had never seen the woman anything less than desperately cheerful. "And, uh, I talked to Aurea- Professor Juniper. I had to do quite a bit of pleading, but I finally talked her into a pokedex. I had to promise her you would fill it up as you travelled, so if that's not too much of a bother, I'd appreciate if you did that."

Delaney's eyes widened. Even travelling around Sinnoh, she had never had a pokedex- apparently she hadn't ranked quite high enough with Professor Rowan to get one. Very few trainers had a pokedex, and most of the ones that did were quite wealthy. Delaney's father could have afforded to get her one if she had made it clear that she had wanted one, but it had never been one of her priorities. Now that she was in Unova, where she knew nothing about any of the pokemon, though, it seemed like it would be a lot more useful.

And somehow, Lydia had scored her one.

But as much as Delaney wanted that damn pokedex, she couldn't take it. Theoretically, gifts from your parents were to be appreciated, but Delaney had been making it clear since her arrival that she didn't consider Lydia to be a parental figure- more like an unwanted roommate. "I can't take that, Lydia," she said flatly.

"Yes, you can," the woman said sternly, narrowing her violet eyes. "You can even pretend it's a gift from the professor, not me, if that makes you feel better." The tall, thin woman began to walk away from the bag and back through the door of the guardhouse. Delaney felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach. Lydia had come all this way with a super nice gift and Delaney had completely blown her off. Yes, she had been a shitty mother for the vast majority of Delaney's life, but she was trying now- and Delaney wasn't making things easy for her.

Before walking out of the guardhouse, Lydia turned back and offered Delaney a small smile, as if acknowledging her guilt. Maybe making Delaney feel like an ungrateful bitch was her intention- who knew? Regardless, that was definitely the result of her anger. "Remember, honey, if you need to, you can always come home."

And just like that, she was gone.

Delaney took a few steps towards the bag and then picked it up, swallowing hard. If she _could _just go home, life would be so much easier. She would be back in that giant bedroom, enveloped in a large down-filled comforter. She would never get out of that queen-sized bed and if she did, it would be to give her father a huge hug and beg him to never make her go through anything like this again. She would train her pokemon like they deserved to be trained every single day, and maybe leave for the Battle Frontier. She would check out boys with Dax and gossip with him about everybody they knew. She would even rematch the gym leaders when they asked.

But that wasn't possible anymore. Delaney had to accept the fact that not only was she in a new place, but she was living a new life. Delaney Caldwell, the platinum-haired trainer that had so gleefully challenged gyms and climbed to the top of the trainer heap, was no longer in service. Christa White was who she had to be now, and she could either reluctantly train in a place she hated or make the best of it and rock Unova like she had rocked Sinnoh.

And you know, if she was going to be in Unova, there were worse places to call home than a nice little house with a woman who not only brought her clean clothes, but a map so she wouldn't get lost… and a pokedex. Maybe Lydia wasn't the best mother, but she at least deserved better than Delaney's denial of her existence.

For a final time, Delaney turned on her heel and walked through the guardhouse, and when she went through that door, she was at last in Striaton City. Instead of being excited, though, she was quite, quite sad.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note (822/11): YIKES! So sorry for the delayed chapter- as I've explained to some of you, I spent the end of July focused on summer finals, and then early August focused on getting out of my previous apartment and into my new one. It took awhile to get internet set up but then I FINALLY got a router- only to learn my computer was not wireless compatible... So I went out and bought a laptop. I'm going to be better about updating now, pinky promise._**

**_Quick note: I've been beta reading a story for the last week or so that you may wanna check out if you're looking for something to read. It's call "Gotta Steal Em All!" by Noteleks and it's getting pretty interesting. It's a different perspective on Yellow, in a way similar to how this is a different spin on the B/W story. I just finished editing chapter 8 and it's getting to be quite interesting! It's on my faves list if you're interested!_**

**_Lastly, I am still accepting OC characters for this story if you've been thinking about submitting one. The form is in chapter 3. The first OC popped up in this chapter- Cream Megami belongs to maddiepink5, an amazing reader and reviewer. Thanks for letting me use Cream!_**

**_Finally: Thank YOU for reading so far! I would really appreciate any and all reviews, especially any constructive criticism you may have for me. (:_**

**_Thanks!_**

**_~DAT_**


	7. 07: Dark Clouds

**Chapter 07: Dark Clouds**

"_Shhhhhhh!"_

Delaney peered over the side of the wall, her eyes scanning the Pokemon Center lobby anxiously. Perry was still sleeping in his poke' ball, but Charlie was at her side, far more energetic than he had been the previous day. Way _too_ energetic, if you were to ask his trainer, who was biting her bottom lip in anxiety and trying to time the perfect escape from the Pokemon Center. Well, not perfect. Just quick- a hop, skip and dash out of the doors was precisely what she needed in order to avoid being spotted.

To think she had almost leisurely strolled out into the lobby! It was a good thing that her eyes were quicker than her brain, because things could have gotten bad quickly.

After all, if Cheren was here, Bianca had to be close by.

Though Cheren alone probably would have been tough to take as well. From what she could tell by the conversation she had eavesdropped on in Nuvema Town, the two kept each other in check- Cheren would stop Bianca when she got too ditzy and chatty to take, and Bianca prevented Cheren from being overly snide and arrogant. He was probably an unbearable prick when his lighthearted friend wasn't around.

Though Delaney thought they were both pretty unbearable anyways, hence why she was hiding.

Well, if you considered it hiding when you were standing next to a wall with half of your body still showing and hiding your face with your hair as much as humanly possible… and your lillipup is about to out your hiding spot by being oddly loud for such a small pokemon. The cheerful pup barked loudly before wandering out from where the two were doing quite a pathetic job of concealing themselves.

"Damn," Delaney swore under her breath. "This is already not my day, is it?" She darted out and grabbed Charlie, glancing once more out into the lobby.

No Cheren. No Bianca.

Delaney let go of the puppy pokemon upon noticing that the lobby was free of the Nuvema duo. It was for the best that their mediocre hiding was over with, because she had probably looked pretty ridiculous to those trainers that were actually in the Pokemon Center. She plastered a grin on her face and strolled casually through the lobby with Charlie a few feet in front of her, sniffing everything he came in contact with. And then… It was out into Striaton.

The previous evening, she hadn't cared to glance around the city much- she had been caught up in her own thoughts after what had happened with Lydia. She had found the Pokemon Center, grabbed something to eat in the cafeteria there and then gone up to her room where she had stayed for the remainder of the evening where she had wrestled endlessly with her guilty conscience. She, of course, had lost (though really, in that battle, the winner and loser were one and the same) and had called Lydia right before she had gone to bed. It had been one of the most awkward conversations she had ever sat through (though her conversation with her father the day before she left still was still sufficiently more awkward- at least he had given up on asking her who the friend was, because things could've gotten a lot more uncomfortable from there on), but it had made her feel a bit better. She had apologized for being so stubborn and thanked Lydia for making the trip out to Striaton and bringing her supplies, as well as a pokedex. Lydia's anger from earlier seemed to have melted upon answering the call, and she looked happier than Delaney had seen her, well, ever.

Not that this meant Lydia was getting a second chance. But nice gestured deserved a thank you. Years living in the Caldwell home meant at least fairly decent manners… Most of the time, anyways. And besides, Delaney was quite grateful to have slept in something other than the clothes that she had been wearing for two days straight.

Now, the brunette and her lillipup gazed restlessly around the small city of Striaton. The fact that they were somewhere bigger than a sleepy small town did wonders for Delaney's mood- she absolutely loved cities, and always had, even as a child. Granted, Striaton was no Hearthrome, but it wasn't Nuvema either. It had a few tall buildings, a rather large school and a few sprawling neighborhoods that looked like nice places to grow up.

The city in general had a friendly vibe, which was a bit strange for a city, seeing as how urban areas usually were far less welcoming and generally apathetic towards their many inhabitants. Delaney looked from building to building with a growing smile on her face. _This_ was what she had always loved best when journeying- traveling to new cities and exploring (and shopping, if she was lucky). She didn't have nearly as much money on her as she had when traveling in Sinnoh (even when she had been starting out there, Delaney had carried an obscenely large amount of cash in her bag- Daddy hadn't wanted his little girl to be denied anything she might want), so going on a spree wasn't really an option now, unfortunately. She could always visit the school, though she was fairly certain it was going to be all about type match-ups and status conditions, as most learning institutions were. If they had been offering a crash course in say, Unovan pokemon, or how to make sure your secret identity stays secret, or how to have a less awkward conversation with the mother that abandoned you as a young child, she would sign right up, but otherwise, there was no point.

Her feet began to move, though where they were heading, the brunette had no idea. Charlie bounded in front of her happily, though he made sure to stay fairly close; he was just content to be out in the autumn sunshine no matter where the destination was. Certainly not the gym yet- they were close to being ready to put in a challenge, but not quite yet. Then again, who was to say she needed a destination? Maybe she just wanted to explore and wander- what was so wrong with that? With a cheesily large smile on her face, she took Perry's poke'ball out of her bag and released the otter pokemon as well, so he too could enjoy the day of doing nothing of importance. The oshawott yawned sleepily as it was released. Delaney giggled. "Wake up, sleepyhead! We're going to have fun today!"

"Christa! Hey Christa!"

Or not. Delaney's peaceful drifting was interrupted by exactly who she had wanted to avoid running into. The perky blonde Bianca was running to catch up with her, though the skirt and shoes she was wearing weren't exactly cooperating with her. The orange pig pokemon at her side wasn't helping matters much either, tripping over Bianca's feet and at times lagging behind, it's portly shape preventing it from being overly speed. The two were quite a pair, rushing down the crowded street and nearly tripping with every step they took. "Maybe if I just pretend I don't see her…" Delaney muttered to herself.

"Shwott!" cried Perry gleefully, running back towards Bianca and her porky companion. And naturally, after seeing his friend Perry run off down the street, Charlie decided he needed to run after him to see what fun the oshawott might be chasing/ Delaney's eyes widened- if she was going to chase after Perry and Charlie, she was going to run right into Bianca, literally. There was no avoiding this one.

"Damn, damn, damn…" Delaney chanted under her breath as she ran after the otter and puppy. Perry and Bianca's pokemon reached each other before their trainers did and seemed absolutely ecstatic to see each other. Charlie sniffed Bianca's companion, tail wagging, though the orange pig completely ignored him, focusing instead of Perry.

"So you got the oshawott!" Bianca exclaimed upon finally reaching Delaney. "I was totally planning on starting out with Oshawott, but when Cheren and I went to get our pokemon, Professor Juniper said somebody had already gotten him! I thought she said it was a boy, though, but maybe I'm mistaken and she was just saying that Oshawott was a boy…" Her chipper voice trailed off as Delaney processed the words that had just come out of her mouth.

A boy. Alex.

Well, at least Bianca hadn't started out her long, overdrawn mini-speech with _hey, that pokemon was stolen!_ Delaney really wouldn't have known what to say to that, and she probably would've started to cry at the idea of Alex not reforming his Team Galactic ways. She liked to think that he was living the normal life he had so craved, the life he had talked about when they had discussed him leaving Team Galactic- the life he believed he would live once Delaney defeated Cyrus. Maybe he hadn't been so wrong about that after all. Maybe he was living it, but Delaney just wasn't a factor anymore.

Realizing that Bianca was looking at her expectantly, as if she expected Delaney to go into an equally long spiel, she cleared her throat and poised herself to reply… But to say what? Her runaway Team Galactic administrator boyfriend (was he even her boyfriend? They had never decided upon that label…) had picked up the pokemon and then mailed it to her in her home in Sinnoh to convince her to run away before the criminal organization he worked for busted out of jail to exact their revenge upon her?

Arceus, her life sounded like a truly horrible soap opera. _Days of Our Lives_ had nothing on Delaney Caldwell.

However, Christa White was a lot more boring than her platinum-haired counterpart. She also needed to think of something to say to her chatty neighbor before the girl thought she was crazy. "A friend of mine picked him up when he was passing through the area," she said with a falsely chipper smile. Technically not a lie. "He thought I might get lonely moving to a new town, so he gave Perry to me."

"How cute!" Bianca squealed. "Is this friend your _booooooyfriend?_ Is he cute? What's his name?"

"That's a really long story," Delaney responded through gritted teeth. _And none of your damn business._ Delaney needed an out- she needed to find something to distract Bianca before she began asking questions that Delaney didn't have answers for. Where was Christa from? Delaney had no fucking clue. Why had she never lived with her mother before? Before the bubbly blonde would even know it, she would have gotten herself into a mess that was way too deep to get out of. "So tell me about your pokemon. What is it?"

Yes, it was a lame cop-out but the brunette was desperate- she just needed to get the blonde aimlessly chattering about something that was not Christa White. Bianca seemed pleased enough just to have a chance to talk (Cheren probably would have shut her up by this point, Delaney figured). "It's a tepig!" she announced, eyes wide with surprise. Then she giggled, though the airy laugh was more part of the conversation than it was a reaction to something funny. "Sorry, Christa, I keep forgetting you're not from Unova. Professor Juniper received three pokemon a long time ago to study- a fire-type, a water-type and a grass-type. She always said Cheren and I would get one each to go traveling, but it took us awhile to get out on our journeys because my dad didn't like the idea of me leaving home… But anyways, Bacon is the fire-type pokemon. I think Professor Juniper said he'll also be a fighting-type when he evolves." She glanced at her pokemon with a glowing smile on her face. The small pig pokemon was playing with Perry, both of them sporting bright grins. Charlie had lost interest in trying to butt in on the reunion, and had found a very interesting leaf in the street gutter that he was trying to pick up. "They probably remember each other from Professor Juniper's lab. They're friends!"

"Yeah, look at that," Delaney said weakly. She was almost sad for a moment that she hadn't gotten that pokemon instead- training another fire/fighting type would've almost been like training Blitzkrieg again. _Almost_ was the key word in that sentence, though- she had loved running with Blitzkrieg back in Sinnoh and Tepig's lack of speed and portly build nearly guaranteed that Delaney would have gotten annoyed fast.

"Yeah, I'm so excited to start battling the gyms! I know Bacon and I are going to do great! That's actually where we were headed when we ran into you!" she said enthusiastically. Delaney mentally cursed Perry (and to some extent, Charlie, though this one was mostly the otter's fault) for dragging her into this conversation- it was seriously marring the carefree afternoon of exploring that Delaney had planned. "Hey, I've got an idea! We should totally battle! It'll help me get ready for the gym leader, and I'm sure you're going to start battling gyms soon too, right? It's a win-win situation!"

"Um…" What Delaney really wanted to say was _no_ and _shut up_. No wonder why that Cheren kid always seemed so cross- around Bianca, there was hardly enough peace to even think. As much as Delaney didn't want to, though, Bianca did make one excellent point- it _would_ actually be good experience for the gym leader, and since Delaney wanted to put in a challenge within the next couple days, she really should make a conscious effort to get in all the training for both Charlie and Perry that she could.

"Hey Christa!" Bianca shouted, bringing Delaney back into focus. Delaney snapped her head back and met Bianca's eyes. "Now you can't say no to me anyways- our eyes met! I officially challenge you! Go, Bacon! It's time to prove to everyone how much stronger we've gotten!"

Oh… Sneaky. _That's how we're playing it, is it?_ _I'll show you sneaky._

* * *

><p>There was no doubt in the minds of Striaton pedestrians that the obnoxious wailing that could be heard blocks away was that of an ill-behaving child being punished. Those pedestrians had obviously never met Bianca.<p>

Delaney was blown away by not just Bianca's tears, but the indescribable noise that accompanied them. People casually walking by turned their heads as they passed the two, most of them probably thinking that Delaney had done something unspeakable to the poor girl, rather than just defeating her in battle. The brunette didn't know exactly what to do- did she abandon the idea of prize money and just run? Did she try to comfort this girl she hardly knew and really didn't like? Laugh? Tell her to stop crying?

Okay, it was a bit more than Delaney winning- it was the fact that Delaney had absolutely trumped her.

As soon as Delaney had realized that the match was going to be a quick one, she had tried to slow down, tried to let Bianca's pokemon get in a few hits, but Perry hadn't liked her compassion one bit- the memories of losing to that N guy and his purrloin were fresh in his mind. Charlie hadn't paid attention to her subtle cues to slow down whatsoever. The result of the two's lack of cooperation meant that Bianca's own lillipup (obviously the runt of its mother's litter, it was rather small- way smaller than Charlie- and it had been trained very little) and Bacon (who had an obvious type disadvantage to Perry, especially after Perry had learned to use water gun and trained somewhat how to shoot small, moderately powerful jets of water out) were knocked down, pushed aside and rolled flat in battle. And while Perry and Charlie were absolutely ecstatic, Bianca was on the other end of that spectrum. Delaney had never seen somebody quite so devastated at a loss.

"Um… Bianca?" Delaney began hesitantly. "That was a good battle." Immediately after speaking, Delaney just wanted to facepalm herself. She dared anyone to find something more awkward for her to say. Open mouth, insert foot.

"For you, maybe!" Bianca wailed. "Why would you do that to my poor pokemon? WHY? Maybe my dad was right. Maybe I'm not tough enough to do this! I should've just let Cheren leave without me!"

Okay, _there_ was something more awkward.

This definitely made Delaney's conversation with Lydia the night before look like a breezy conversation. Delaney wasn't sure what Bianca was look for her- guidance? Reassurance? Agreement? Arceus, this girl had 99 problems and then some.

Delaney cleared her throat. "Can I just say something? You don't have to prove anything to anyone. Not your dad, or Cheren, or anybody else. Trust me. If you end up doing things just because other people expect you to, you'll only end up disappointed with yourself, on top of hating everybody for pushing you too hard." _Isn't that the truth._

"I already am disappointed with myself!" she howled, completely missing the point in all that Delaney had just said. "Christa, you just don't understand! Nobody does!"

Ugh, what did one say to that? "You can't win every battle?" Delaney said, hopelessly fishing for the right words to say to end Bianca's tears. "Everybody loses sometimes. I'm sure even Cynthia loses."

"The champion of Sinnoh?" Bianca asked, puzzled. "Yeah, maybe. Maybe that's why she comes to Unova once a year to train." Yet again, Delaney almost facepalmed. _What a stupid slip-up._

"Yeah, even champions need to train!" Delaney said with renewed zeal. She had almost caused slipped-up, yes, but at least Bianca had been so confused by her seemingly random analogy that she had stopped sobbing. Sometimes Delaney's blonde moments were actually useful, apparently.

"I guess you're right…" Bianca said thoughtfully, her voice trailing off. "But you're a big meany for being so tough on Bacon and Ruffles! We need to go to the Pokemon Center and heal." With that, she turned on her heel and began to run in the direction of the Pokemon Center, though she was running just as awkwardly away from Delaney as she had run towards her, nearly tripping with each step (though Bacon was now in his poke'ball).

_ That girl has more mood swings than Dax_, Delaney thought to herself with a slight smile (because of Dax, of course, not because of Bianca's hysterics). Once Bianca was out of sight, she grabbed the poke'balls of both of her pokemon and released them once again. "Sorry about that, you guys," she muttered. "Not quite the relaxing day we were hoping for."

"Excuse me! Miss!" A man with dirty blonde hair and a goatee was running towards her, spectacles nearly falling off his nose each time his feet hit the ground.

"I will kick that man in the shin if he tries to battle me," she muttered towards Perry and Charlie, though she wasn't sure if they would understand, or care for that matter.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help but watch your battle earlier. Do you plan on challenging the gyms?" he asked, panting from running to catch up with her. Delaney was sincerely hoping he wasn't the gym leader. With his silk purple shirt with pit stains and far too big black pants, he looked more like the neighborhood creeper. _Who wears silk purple shirts? Really?_

"I do. Are you the gym leader?" she asked, crossing her fingers that the answer was no. This guy just didn't look like a challenge, and Delaney liked to fight for her badges. But then again, Candice hadn't looked that difficult either, and _she_ had put Delaney and her pokemon through quite a match. Delaney mentally scolded herself for being so judgmental as she remembered that match, then prayed to Arceus that this man wouldn't also send out a beyond vicious froslass.

"Oh no. I work in the Striaton Gym as a host on the more busy nights. I book reservations for any events, as well as entertainment, and I think that you might be just what we're looking for!" _Okay, affirmation for the neighborhood creeper…_

"Pardon?" she asked, confused. "Entertainment?"

"Sorry, I forget sometimes that not everybody knows this. The Striaton City Gym doubles as a restaurant run by our three leaders, Cilan, Chili and Cress and-"

"There are _three_ gym leaders?" Delaney interrupted. She had heard of a pair of twin gym leaders in Hoenn, but three? That was just plain ridiculous!"

"You only fight one of them," he said quickly. "But anyways, tonight there's a rather large business dinner being held in our restaurant for a big surveying firm in Castelia. During large gatherings like this, the three leaders like to entertain their guests with some particularly hot battles, and I think you're good enough to give them quite a show! What do you say?"

Well, even if some of his wording didn't have a bit of innuendo to it, Delaney still would be just as hesitant. It had been nearly six months since she had battled a gym leader, and that had been with her previous team. Not that Perry and Charlie weren't good, but she wasn't quite sure she was battling well enough yet to have a bunch of strangers watching her. "Um…"

"Oh, please miss! I've never seen a trainer here that battles quite like you do, and this is an important dinner for our restaurant! We really want our guests to be satisfied!" He was begging now.

Oh Arceus, she couldn't really say no, could she? What if he couldn't find anybody else and he got fired, and then had to live out on the streets? Delaney couldn't live with that on her conscience. "Okay," was all she said. She wasn't excited by any means, but she would do it.

Good thing Bianca didn't listen to a damn word Delaney said. She didn't take her own advice either apparently. So much for not doing things because people expected it of her. Although on some degree she was still right- she totally did hate this guy for talking her into it and if she lost in front of a bunch of strangers, she would be bitter as hell.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cried, all but kissing her in his excitement. "Can I have your name so I can let all of the staff know who to expect?"

"Christa," she said, grimacing ever so slightly. "Christa White."

"Okay, Christa, be there by six. Your battle should start by six-fifteen!" he said, and he began to jog off. "And thank you!" he called behind him.

Delaney couldn't shake the grimace off her face. Something was telling her that this couldn't possibly end well.

* * *

><p>After five jogs around the room in the Pokemon Center, Delaney was no less nervous than she was before, and it was only two. She still had four hours before she had to be at the gym, and though any normal trainer would be sneaking in some last-minute power training with their pokemon, Delaney was too nervous to do much else than fidget.<p>

Why, oh _why_, had she agreed to this?

Perry was for some reason in a grumpy mood as he sat in the small armchair by the door. Why he was grumpy, Delaney had no clue. Charlie, naturally, was bouncing around like a small child who had gotten into the ice cream and eaten far too much, nearly tripping Delaney each time she made a lap around the small room. It took nearly falling on her face for the third time for Delaney to realize precisely how ridiculous she looked doing laps around the room that was literally as big as her closet back in Sinnoh.

Yeah, this was serious. Pow-wow time.

With what little dignity she still retained, Delaney took a seat at the foot of her bed and faced Perry. "Charlie!" she called. "Come here! We all need to have a talk!" The small puppy scampered to where his trainer and fellow pokemon were sitting, though he didn't pick up on their serious attitudes. "You guys, today is a very big and important day that I didn't think was going to happen quite yet, at least not for a couple days. In a few hours, we're going to fight hopefully just one of the gym leaders of Striaton. Gym leaders are leaders for a reason- they're tough. It's not going to be easy."

Perry was staring at Delaney wide-eyed, growing a bit more nervous as Delaney continued to talk. Charlie was a different story. He found a loose thread in the carpet and prodded it curiously with his paw. When it didn't fight back, he pawed at it again. "But not all battles _are _easy," Delaney continued. "In fact, the best battles are actually really tough. I have a feeling this battle is going to be one of- Fuck, Charlie, what did you just do?" she yelled, jumping up from the bed. The small puppy had somehow yanked the thread out of the carpet completely, pulling out several more with it. The missing carpet threads had left a small, but noticeable hole in the flooring, one that could easily be reported and that Delaney could be fined over. Both Charlie and Perry looked at her with wide eyes and with a small yelp, Charlie dove under the bed.

"Charlie, I'm sorry!" Delaney begged. "Please come out!" The lillipup would not budge, though- Delaney had scared him by raising her voice. She sighed. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this anymore," she muttered to herself. "Perry, do you want to finish talking?" His small otter glare as he turned his back towards her said volumes even if he didn't verbally respond. "Great."

Delaney said back down on the small full-sized bed, dismayed and discouraged. If she couldn't get her own pokemon to listen to her, how were they going to win? Were they about to make enormous fools of themselves in front of a bunch of strangers?

The brunette sighed as she grabbed her trainer's bag and reached inside to grab her crosstransceiver. She dialed her number one on speed dial and waited for him to pick up.

Dax's face filling the screen was enough to make Delaney feel tons better, though her glee was interrupted by Dax's message system, indicating that they weren't about to have a long, bizarre conversation about boys, pokemon and other random things (as Dax was prone to going off on tangents). He was probably out training with his pokemon that enjoyed his company and didn't hide under a bed to get away from him because he was an enormous bitch.

"Dax, it's me, Delly. I haven't heard from you since I've been out here and I wanted to say hi," she said, trying not to cry as she recorded the message. "I'm going to battle the first gym leader of Unova tonight and I just wanted… to say hi, I guess. I miss you. Call me back when you're not busy." And with that, she hung up and placed the crosstransceiver in her bag.

"_Remember, honey, if you need to, you can always come home."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note (825/11): First of all, OH MY GOODNESS! You all sure know how to coerce a girl into updating! Since chapter 6 was uploaded on Monday, there have been 200 additional hits to this story! Between that, the amazing reviews from some of you lovely readers and a couple new OCs, my day has most definitely been made! A very delightful way to come home after a hard day at both work and school, let me tell you. (:**_

_**Yes, this chapter was uploaded relatively quickly, especially considering the long wait between chapters 5 and 6. Consider the quickness of this update your apology for that. (: Again, no internet because of moving was to blame, as well as summer semester finals. I have decided to put myself on an official updating schedule- count on updates on Fridays beginning **__**next week**__**. **_

_**Again, thank you so much for reading (and possibly reviewing as well). And as much as I love to hear that you liked it, I would also like to know if you hated it (as well as why). Constructive criticism is **__**always**__** welcome.**_

_**And even if you don't review, thank you for reading! I really enjoy writing this, so I appreciate that you took the time out of your day to read!**_

_**~DAT**_


	8. 08: Smile Like You Mean It

**Chapter 08: Smile like You Mean It**

If there was one thing Delaney hated, it was the tense silence in her room at the Striaton City Pokemon Center. The only time that she was lucky enough to escape it was when Charlie whimpered from under her bed, but that wasn't really lucky at all- it was just a terse reminder to Delaney about what a complete jerk she was. She had tried to apologize both to Charlie and Perry, who was not pleased with her or her rude behavior either, but it did not a bit of good. Perry sat cross-armed in a chair, refusing to look in Delaney's direction and Charlie stayed in the corner between the bed and the wall. And to make matters worse, it was already four-thirty- she had about an hour and a half until her big battle and she wasn't even sure if her pokemon were willing to battle on her side.

Dandy. What could _possibly _make things better?

Delaney sighed. She had no earthly idea what to do to make things up to her pokemon, she was stuck in this place where she knew few people and it was likely that all of them were pissed at her (not that she was their biggest fans either, but still) and even after calling back again, she still couldn't get ahold of Dax. There was only one other person that could possibly make her feel better at the moment. Hopefully he wasn't as busy as her best friend…

After getting her Crosstransceiver off her bedside table, she pressed and held the 2 button. After one, two, three painfully slow rings, the cheerful face of Blake Caldwell filled the small screen. She half-expected him to announce that he was not available and wouldn't she please leave a message and he would get back to her, but fortunately, this was not the case. "Delaney!" he greeted her happily, and though she realized it was a bit ridiculous, Delaney's eyes filled with tears. She hadn't talked to her father since she had been in Unova, partially because things had been a bit crazy since her arrival and partially because she was still pretty pissed that he had made her leave her home. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him, with his little sweater over the shoulders, though soon, she was sure, he would be wearing it. Autumn in Sinnoh was cold, after all. She also hadn't realized how much she missed being called by her real name- she hadn't been referred to as Delaney since she had left Sinnoh either. "How are you, sweetheart? How is Lydia's house?"

"Well, Daddy, I'm actually no longer at Lydia's house," she said with a small smile. "I started traveling again a couple days ago."

"Good for you!" he said, not in that way that some people say _good for you_ that indicates that they don't care one bit but in a way that showed that he really believed this was a good thing for her. "I'm proud of you, Del. I know you'll have just as much fun as you did on your journey here."

She hoped not. Quite a large chunk of her journey hadn't been fun at all, but she wasn't about to say that and spoil such a lovely conversation with her father, especially not after he had just said he was proud of her. "How's it in Sinnoh?" she asked. Yes, her inner mantra had been to focus on Unova and her life here, but that didn't mean she didn't still miss it.

The smile pretty much melted off her father's face. _So much for not ruining the conversation._ "I'm so glad I got you out of here," Blake muttered. "It's bad, Delaney."

"Worse than it was?" the brunette asked, eyes widening.

"So much worse, Del. Grunts have pretty much blocked off all entrances and exits to Veilstone, and they're back in their headquarters there. Maylene has had to close her gym to the public for a while, because it's been so long since she's had challengers. Grunts are wandering the streets stealing pokemon. They're starting to spread to Hearthrome as well. Fewer trainers have been visiting the garden, too." He sounded genuinely sad about the garden- he loved his trophy garden out back, as well as meeting the trainers that came to visit it.

If Delaney hadn't been sad before, she was now. She hated hearing about her home in such a sorrowful state. The way her father spoke, Team Galactic sounded like a disease that was slowly killing the region off town by town. The idea of them taking over Hearthrome absolutely sickened her- the large town was by far her favorite place. She didn't want to imagine the grunts in their ridiculous outfits roaming the beautiful paved streets of the city, swarming Amity Square or taking the small cutesy pokemon of the snobby older women that liked to visit there.

She genuinely didn't know what to say to her father. Did she apologize? Continue to tell him about her life here? What do you say to somebody when their reality is so grim? Thankfully, Blake didn't make her wonder long. "I'm sorry, Delaney. I didn't want to upset you. Tell me about your journey. Have you met any friends?"

Delaney considered feeding him a crock of bullshit, considered pretending that she was all sunshine and smiles and that all was wonderful here in Unova… But truth be told, she was sick of pretending to be somebody she was not. "No." An awkward pause as Blake waited for her to continue. "And I'd like to say I don't care but… I kind of do. Traveling makes me think of Dax and… my other friends and it's kind of lonely without them. I tried to call Dax but he didn't answer and he hasn't called me back. And I'm pretty sure my pokemon hate me," she said, tears filling her eyes. "I'm supposed to battle one of the gym leaders in an hour and… fifteen minutes and I'm not even sure they'll battle with me. I made a girl cry when I beat her… And I upset Lydia. It kind of sucks here. Well, it really sucks. And it sucks even worse that I can't go home because the idea of me even being in Sinnoh stresses you out and I don't want you to worry." By that point, tears had streaked across her face.

"It'll get better," Blake said quietly, though it was clear he had no idea what to say to comfort his typically not very emotional daughter. "After all, you're Delaney Caldwell-"

Delaney nearly laughed as she interrupted him. "No, I'm Christa White. I would _much_ rather be Delaney Caldwell right now, believe me."

"You're Delaney, no matter what you're telling people right now," he said firmly. "Think of all that you've been through already. Compared to that, Unova is nothing. Lydia will forgive you if she hasn't already. That girl will get better because she battled you… You'll inspire her to greater heights. And you'll make friends. You didn't even meet Dax until about halfway through your journey. Everybody is just worried about standing on their own two feet as a trainer right now. Eventually when people get a handle on being on their own, they'll be more ready to branch out and meet people." He paused, taking an audible breath. "And don't worry about trying not to worry me. I'm sorry that you have to go through this, Delly, but it really is safer. I know Team Galactic is looking for you here, but there's no way they can find you where you are. Christa White isn't on their radar at all."

"I know," she murmured, wiping the tears from her face, a bit irritated with herself for getting so upset.

"And I seriously doubt your pokemon hate you," he added, adopting a more serious tone. "Your team in Sinnoh loved you, Delaney… They fought to the death for you, quite literally if you remember correctly. Your new pokemon will love you just as much, but you just have to get used to the fact that these pokemon are different. They don't know the strategies you taught the others, or your preferences, or your strengths and weaknesses as a trainer or as a person. You're starting over really in every way. It's a new beginning," he said, smiling a bit. "How often does anyone really get a fresh start? The chance to start from the very beginning- fix your mistakes, change what you want to change."

Okay, so Blake had begun to ramble, as he tended to do after a point… But he made a good point. How many times had she wished she could go back to easier times in the midst of the insanity that had become her life back in Sinnoh during the Galactic mess? She had flat out told Annette that she could've been in love with Alex if things had been simpler. Here it was- life was pretty basic now (well, if you excluded the whole secret identity and hiding out from Team Galactic thing). She had two pokemon and a whole adventure ahead of her. "Thanks, Dad," she said with a small smile on her face. She had definitely made the right choice in calling him.

"Of course, sweetheart," he said with a grin on his face. "Now go get your first badge."

"I'm not promising anything on that front," she said with a grimace on her face. Fact of the matter was, she was really not ready and she was probably going to lose, but winning and losing didn't matter right now- getting through to Perry and Charlie did. "I'll call you later and let you know how it went. I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Delly. Now go do what you do best," he said and within a quick second, his face disappeared from her screen, which made her quite sad again. Despite her initial irritation at him for forcing her into this, she truly missed him, and in the end, she couldn't blame him. He had only been doing what he had thought was right, even if she didn't necessarily agree with him. All he had cared about was making sure she was safe. He was giving her a new beginning, and maybe that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She just had to make the best of it.

The first thing that had to be done, though, was apologizing to Charlie and Perry. She set the Crosstransceiver back on her bed, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She counted to one, two, and three and opened her eyes. To her surprise, Perry was standing at her feet, looking alarmed. "What's wrong?" she asked, wondering if something had happened to one of them without her noticing. She would never forgive herself…

Instead of pointing out danger, though, the oshawott toddled towards her and wrapped his small arms around her leg. Delaney was confused and almost asked Perry what exactly was going on until she realized- _he was worried about her._ And after all, didn't worrying about somebody mean you cared?

Despite her attempts against them, tears filled Delaney's eyes again. Ugh, when did she turn into the kind of person who cried at the drop of the hat? _Must be a Unova thing. _Christa was definitely a lot softer than Delaney Caldwell had been.

Perry was staring up at her, still startled at her disarray. "I'm sorry, Perry," she said quietly. "And I'm so sorry for yelling, Charlie," she said, raising her voice in an attempt to address them both. Not a single rustle of movement could be heard- Charlie hadn't even remotely responded to her (not like she could blame him). "You guys deserve a lot better trainer than me- like one that actually wants to be travelling and doing this whole gym challenge thing. I probably shouldn't have left Nuvema, but it's too late for that now. You know what, though? These last couple days that we've been traveling have been the best couple days I've had in a long time." To her relief, Perry was actually listening closely to her, as if he understood and cared about how she felt (it had been a long time since she had been able to say that about anybody). "You see, my dad made me realize something today. I've been given a fresh start. I wanted one so badly, and when I got one, I kind of freaked out. I don't want to make excuses for the fact that I've been a jerk, and I have been- to you guys, to my parents, to Bianca and Cheren… Even though they're really annoying, I've been pretty rotten to them. That's why you were mad earlier, wasn't it, Perry? Because I made Bianca cry. I think you freak out when people cry."

And then there it was- a rustle in the corner, and then a furry head poking out from under the bed, eyes wide. Delaney was so excited she almost began to cry- again (seriously, this crying kick needed to end). "So we're supposed to battle the gym leader in 40 minutes in front of a bunch of strangers. I can't promise you anything as far as this battle goes, other than I will support you guys as best as I can and cheer you on whether you win or lose. I've put kind of unfair expectations on you so far as far as battling goes, and I'm sorry for that. I haven't been pushing you like a good trainer should, because I'm afraid you'll get hurt." _Like Marvel did._ "And I guess I'm kind of afraid in general. I didn't want to travel again. I didn't want to go through what I went through in Sinnoh. There was so much pressure as far as Team Galactic went… And even though Team Galactic isn't here, I was afraid of that kind of pressure being placed on me..."

"So instead of pushing you, I guess I've just expected you to kind of do it yourselves. My pokemon back home are strong- not that you aren't strong, but they're all evolved and we've been through a lot together, and I forgot how it was to be at the beginning. I could continue rambling, and I'm beginning to sound way too much like my father, but now we've only got 30 minutes and we have to walk to the gym… And now I'm kind of rambling out of nerves. Will you please do me the honor of battling by my side? Both of you?" And with that, Perry burst out into a grin and nodded his small head, while Charlie bounded out from under the bed and wagged his tail eagerly.

That was a yes. Oh, thank Arceus it was a yes.

Delaney arrived at precisely 5:58, two minutes before the strange man had told her to be there. The restaurant was small and cozy, despite the large number of people milling about looking for seats. The man hadn't been exaggerating- this was certainly a big dinner, and the men in stuffy suits made her a bit nervous. She likely wasn't going to live up to their expectations, but damn it, she was going to try. Oddly enough, the man who had instructed her to be there was nowhere to be seen.

6:02.

Perspiration began to build at Delaney's temples and her pulse began to quicken. What if this was some sort of joke? What if that man had no affiliation with the gym and was some crackpot looking to play a mean joke on a teenage girl? What if she was exactly where she wasn't supposed to be and the owners of this gym/restaurant were about to show up and yell at her for interrupting this obviously huge and important dinner? What if-

The purple shirt.

There he was, in the midst of a sea of expensive suits and cuff links. The man in the obnoxious silk purple shirt (_seriously_, what guy in his right mind wore shirts like that? Dax wouldn't have been caught dead in this mauve monstrosity) was heading right her way. "Christa! Christa White! Oh thank goodness you're here! There are even more people here than we expected. Cilan is waiting for you!"

"Is that the owner, or the gym leader?" Delaney asked, a bit confused. Her mind had been completely wiped out of nerves. More people than expected. More people here to watch her fail. _Great._

"Cilan is one of the three gym leaders. He'll be the one you'll battle. Please follow me, Miss White," he said in a formal, serious voice. As she followed him through the people chatting and trying to find a seat, she caught a couple of confused glances (as well as a few not so appropriate glances from the obvious office perverts). As they continued on, a new distraction came into view- a battlefield (or what could also pass as a dance floor if wedding receptions were held here). And on a podium in front of the battlefield were three boys, maybe a year or two older than Delaney herself, each with a different shade of Crayola crayon hair.

Well, if she was going to lose, she was going to have fun doing it.

"Good evening, patrons!" boomed the red haired one with a microphone in his hand. "My name is Chili, and I'm joined by my brothers Cress and Cilan. Our father has owned this restaurant for over twenty years, and following his retirement last year, we have been taking care of the restaurant, as well as holding positions as the Striaton City gym leaders. When we have evenings such as this, we like to entertain our guests with battles from promising trainers." All of the sudden, Christa's throat began to feel like sandpaper. This was her turn.

* * *

><p><em>A tall, thin young man with burgundy hair stood in the middle of the room. His kind smile only made Delaney feel that much more nervous. "Welcome! This is the Oreburgh Pokémon Gym. I'm Roark, the Gym Leader! And you are?"<em>

"_Delaney Caldwell," she said, feigning confidence so that Roark didn't know exactly how terrified she was. Her violet eyes were always unwavering, but inwardly, she was panicking._

"_Nice to meet you, Delaney!" he said, flashing yet another smile at her. He was either oblivious to her absolute terror or very good at pretending he didn't notice. "I'm but one Trainer who decided to walk proudly with Rock-type Pokémon! But you knew that already, seeing as how you've defeated the others that train in this gym. As the leader of Oreburgh Gym, I need to see your potential as a trainer, and I'll need to see the toughness of the Pokémon that battle with you! Are you ready, Delaney?"_

"_As ready as I'll ever be, Roark," she retorted, pushing her platinum hair out of her face. "Come on out, Quackers!"_

* * *

><p>"Tonight we have a trainer that was described to us as absolutely electrifying and a force to be reckoned with. She will be fighting Cilan and his grass-type pokemon! Please come join Cilan on the battlefield, Miss Christa White, and good luck to both you and your pokemon!"<p>

Never before had Christa walked onto a battlefield to applause and even though it made her more nervous, she had to admit she liked it. She was hoping that meant they were rooting for her to win.

Cilan was slightly shorter and skinnier than the other two that were standing on stage, and he had a cheerful disposition about him that made Christa want to just sit down and talk to him. "Good luck, Christa," he said with a cheerful smile. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a grin. "Perry, you're up first!" she said, releasing the oshawott. With another toothy smile, Cilan released… a lillipup.

Oh thank Arceus. A pokemon that she recognized and could at least properly battle. Maybe this would be like battling that Cream girl, or Bianca. They both had lillipups… And she had a lillipup! This was going to be easy!

* * *

><p>"<em>Samuel! Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Delaney cried, running to where the small shinx had been knocked flat by the geodude. "It looked small, and it was moving pretty slow. I thought you'd be able to take it!"<em>

"_Never underestimate your opponent, Delaney," Roark said with a raise of his eyebrow. "You forgot to factor in the type advantage that Geodude has over your shinx."_

"_I thought it might be too early in the game for your geodude to know any moves that made his advantage useful," she admitted sheepishly. _

"_You were right, but his throws and his tackles are still pretty powerful, even though he's a little guy. You may know your stuff, Delaney, but you might want to look beyond what you know. Facts are nothing when you can't put them in context."_

* * *

><p>This lillipup was nothing like Bianca's lillipup, or Cream's, or her own. This lillipup was the Cujo of the Unova region. It was bloodthirsty, it was vicious, and it was going to eat her soul… Okay, maybe not, but it wasn't at all sunshine and smiles like its trainer. It had absolute perfect focus and a desire to win, and that made Delaney want to win just so she could say she had beaten Cujo.<p>

He was quick, and he was hard-hitting, and he was making Perry's head spin. The oshawott hadn't yet been in a battle where his opponent was so determined to win no matter what the cost. Delaney was willing to say that the lillipup wanted to win more than Cilan did, by a long shot. He was coming at Perry from all sides and the oshawott was floundering, panicking, nervous… Just like his trainer was. His attacks weren't hitting. He wasn't deflecting attacks as well as he usually did. This was not good.

* * *

><p><em>Delaney hadn't yet considered the possibility of losing, but with Chimchar being the only pokemon she had left; it was becoming more and more likely. Quackers and Samuel were out for the count. It was up to Chimchar to somehow beat both Geodude and whatever Roark's final pokemon was. "Okay, Chimchar, we can do this! We just have to be creative!"<em>

* * *

><p>Creativity. Imagination. Innovation. Those three things had won Delaney her first battle against Roark, as well as the battle against Cream. Perry couldn't take too many more hits from Cilan's lillipup. It was time to try something new.<p>

"Perry, next time lillipup comes close to you, climb on its back!" Delaney yelled. She could hear murmured questions from the crowd (she had almost forgot they were there, in all honesty), as well as a 'what the hell' from Chili at the podium (apparently his mic wasn't as far away as he thought). In addition to confusing all of the people in the room, she had puzzled Perry, though not too badly. Cujo heard her as well, and tried to put the brakes on and then hit reverse in an effort to stay away from the otter pokemon, but determination struck the oshawott who jumped onto the lillipup with fervor. Gasps replaced murmurs and a grin replaced Delaney's furrowed brow.

"Okay, Perry, I want you to use your water gun while you have Lillipup so close!" The oshawott gladly shot out a powerful stream of water (well, as powerful as one could expect from such a small otter), aimed directly at the lillipup's face with a vengeance. The lillipup spurted about and tried to bite Perry, but without even Delaney's direction, he shot another cold blast right into the puppy's face.

There was no recovering from that one. Cujo had fallen.

* * *

><p><em>"Chimchar, I'm so proud of you!" Delaney squeaked as she embraced the small monkey excitedly, blonde hair flying everywhere. "That was amazing!"<em>

_ "Don't get too confident yet, Delaney," Roark said with a grin. "My next pokemon is quite a doozy. Let's go, Cranidos!"_

* * *

><p>"You're different from most beginning trainers," Cilan said with a smile. "But do you think you can bring down my next pokemon? Come on out, Pansage!"<p>

A small green, rather leafy monkey was released, and though he didn't look nearly as bloodthirsty as his puppy predecessor, this monkey was not messing around. He clearly had a type advantage over Perry (though when had type disadvantages ever slowed Delaney down?), and it was pretty certain that she would have to bring Charlie out soon. Hopefully Perry would be able to hold off the pansage for at least a little while…

* * *

><p>"<em>It has short arms, Chimchar! If you can just get out of its reach, you might be able to let him tire himself out! Climb up that rock wall! Climb as high as you can!" So it was unorthodox. Delaney had a slim chance of winning using traditional methods, so maybe if she got creative…<em>

"_Cranidos, don't let this monkey outsmart you!" Roark shouted, clearly shocked. "Headbutt the wall! Try to knock it down!"_

"_Just keep a tight grip on the rocks," Delaney called to her chimchar. "Try to use ember, if you can blow the flames without letting go. If you feel your grip loosening, just focus on staying up there where that cranidos can't get you!"_

* * *

><p>And Perry was down.<p>

Delaney ran to the fallen otter's side with a pokeball ready. "You were so amazing out there," she told him as she scooped him up so he could have a well-deserved rest. "I am so proud of you and I couldn't have asked for you to do any better. Thank you for battling with me," she whispered to him as she felt her eyes cloud up a bit. In all honesty, if they lost, it wouldn't entirely matter- the battle had far exceeded her expectations already. However, Caldwells never gave up and even though technically it was Christa White battling at the moment, she was still a Caldwell through and through. She released Charlie with a grin and the puppy charged out with a glint of determination in his eye. She had never seen Charlie so serious before, but the look on his face said he was there to win. Delaney grinned at the small puppy pokemon. This was going to be interesting, that was for sure.

* * *

><p><em>"Keep headbutting the wall, cranidos!" Roark yelled, visibly frustrated. "That chimchar has to come down sometime, and we'll be waiting for him when he does!"<em>

_ "Climb higher!" countered the young blonde girl. "At this point, trying to blow flames at Cranidos while it headbutts doesn't matter. All that matters is that he can't get you! I know we can wear him out! We can do this!"_

* * *

><p>It was that look of frustration that was quickly appearing on Cilan's face, as Charlie somehow managed to dodge all of the vine whips and fury swipes of Pansage, missing each attack just barely. Charlie was faster than Delaney had given him credit for, and according to the look on his face, he was reveling in pissing off the monkey pokemon, who had sailed past frustration with ease and was now edging upon rage. He was losing his focus quickly, as his attacks were coming less close to Charlie with each strike (which, of course, only made him madder).<p>

"Okay, Charlie, I want you to circle Pansage one more time and then tackle him!" Delaney called out.

"When he gets close, lick him! Try to paralyze him so he can no longer run!" Cilan countered. Delaney bit her lip in worry. If Charlie couldn't run, there was no way they could fight off the raging monkey.

The glint in Charlie's eye hadn't yet gone away. After one circle, the pansage looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to come close so that he could attempt to paralyze him. What he didn't expect was that Charlie was now more than aware of the situation and in a valiant attempt to surprise Pansage; he made another half circle around the leafy monkey and tackled him from behind with all his might. Even Delaney hadn't seen that coming, and now Charlie was on top of Pansage, who was lying on the ground face down. There was no way he could turn around now with Charlie sitting on his back.

"While you're close, bite him!" Delaney yelled. The lillipup was more than happy to, as he sank his teeth into Pansage's shoulder. Pansage squirmed beneath Charlie, and Cilan squirmed from where he stood.

"Try to use your vine whip!" Cilan called nervously.

"Let Pansage get up, Charlie, don't be rude," Delaney said with a grin. "But do make sure to dodge that vine whip."

* * *

><p><em>"Cranidos, come on! It can't stay up there forever!" Roark pleaded with the rock pokemon, who was very visibly exhausted. He didn't have much left in him, which was quite unfortunate, as Chimchar was still spry and bright-eyed and more than ready to attack.<em>

_ The platinum haired girl was absolutely delighted. "Okay, Chimchar, this is our chance! If you jump straight down, you'll land on his head!" With a mischievous grin, Chimchar jumped down in a move that could almost be described as shooting himself off the rock, and he landed on the cranidos with a vengeance. "Okay, Chimchar, now since you're at close range, use your ember! You've got this!"_

_And after the shot of flames, it was all over._

* * *

><p>The first vine whip had hit. Cilan looked almost hopeful, but Pansage didn't look like he cared anymore. He had accepted this as a loss, especially when Charlie looked more indignant than wounded. If anything, it had only made him more desperate to win. "I think one more tackle should be good, Charlie!" Delaney shouted. The puppy locked eyes with his trainer, grinned and ran full force at Pansage, knocking him down. This time, Charlie didn't stay perched on top of Pansage. He didn't need to. Pansage wasn't getting back up.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Well, this is embarrassing. I lost to a trainer without a single badge… But you're no ordinary trainer, are you, Delaney? Not many rookie trainers could come in here with a fire-type pokemon and win," Roark said with a tight-lipped smile as he handed Delaney a shiny piece of metal with brown etchings made to look like a cross between a boulder and a pokeball- the Coal Badge. Despite how she had been trying to control herself, when the badge touched her fingertips, a few tears ran down her face and she burst into a huge smile. "Congratulations. I think you'll find your next win a bit easier."<em>

_ Delaney couldn't speak, afraid that she would really start to cry like an idiot if she opened her mouth. She had never been a crier, but somehow, the idea of winning this battle had brought her to tears._

_This was real. They did it.  
><em>

* * *

><p>A blur of fur darted towards her, as she waited for him with open arms. She embraced Charlie tightly, finding that again, she was in tears. "I'm so so proud of you," she told him as he wriggled excitedly. "You were amazing out there. You really did it." The smile on her face had never been bigger. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed Charlie's pokeball and called him back so that he could rest. Cilan was standing over Pansage in a daze.<p>

Behind the two trainers, the audience of businessmen was cheering and talking amongst themselves about the battle. The other two brothers and the man in the purple shirt were beginning to serve their dinner. Cilan looked up from his pokemon and shot her a grin. He recalled the small, leafy monkey and met Delaney where she stood on the battlefield and greeted her with a handshake. "That was very impressive, Christa," he said. "I can acknowledge when I've been bested by a good trainer. You've definitely earned this." And with that, he reached into his pocket and grabbed a small piece of metal. "This is the Trio Badge. Congratulations, Christa White."

Delaney took the badge with shaking hands and then placed it in her old, empty badge case (she had thrown out the old ones in hysteria after returning from her previous journey). "Thank you," was all she could say and with that, she began to walk back towards the entrance. Some of the businessmen congratulated her as she walked past them, and those office creepers got their last leer in. And in an almost dreamlike state, Delaney walked out of the doors, and began to head back to the Pokemon Center, skipping.

Yes, skipping.

An overjoyed brunette, a bit shorter than she'd like, with flashing blue eyes, made her way to the Pokemon Center, skipping along the streets of Striaton City with a big smile and tear tracks on her face. Onlookers probably thought she was crazy, but she could care less.

"Christa!" Pausing in her skipping, Delaney spun around, only to find a tall, lanky teenage boy with hair as straight as a pin and glasses perched on the end of his nose. Cheren. Delaney had to admit, she was a bit nervous- she hoped he wouldn't challenge her to a battle when she hadn't even had time to heal her pokemon yet. She felt a brief pang of guilt in her gut, remembering her realizations of her rude behavior towards Cheren and Bianca. Maybe this was the time to apologize (though she hoped that if she did, he wouldn't think they were friends, because she still didn't want that. She just wanted to apologize for being an ass).

"Hello, Cheren," she said with a polite smile. "Have you battled the gym yet? You're battling gyms, right?"

"No, my battle is tomorrow. They had some sort of dinner they were hosting tonight," he said, almost as if it were an afterthought. "Instead I've spent my evening consoling my crying friend. How could you?" he asked her accusingly. "I don't know how you do things where you're from, but you could have at least given her a chance. And then you had to rub it in afterwards!"

"I was trying to calm her down!" Delaney argued. "She was hysterical. I panicked! I'm not so good at the whole soothing crying people thing."

"She didn't see it like that," Cheren said curtly. "I'm frankly surprised you made it all the way here given the haphazard way you just took off. I thought you'd be stuck around Accumula."

"Well, I'm not," Delaney said, slightly insulted. "I'm going back to the Pokemon Center. I need to heal my pokemon, seeing as how they just won their first badge." And Cheren was ruining her celebration anyways.

"You beat the gym?" Cheren said, losing a bit of his composure. "_You _did?" The black-haired teen took a deep breath, trying to control his irritation. But by then, Delaney was already gone, and her giant smile was back on her face.

She skipped all the way back to her room.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note (1204/11): This has been a long time coming, yes? I actually began this chapter within a couple days of the last one- and yes, just finished it today (MONTHS later). I apologize to all of you amazing readers, especially after promising weekly updates with my last update. I hate to make excuses, but this semester has been absolutely hellish. There have been numerous health problems in my family, crazy amounts of schoolwork, working FAR too much and a vague attempt to have a social life and it has all been hard to deal with. After reaching my snapping point a couple of weeks ago, I decided to take a semester off school and change jobs. Hopefully that should make updates a bit more consistent in the future.**_

Then there's the second part of the hiatus- the fact that a few puzzling details that I could not figure out discouraged me from writing even when I wanted to. Writer's block is a bitch. Over Thanksgiving Break, I began playing Pokemon White again from where I had left off (in the Nimbasa gym) in an attempt to keep myself awake, and somehow, the answers I had been looking for hit me right in the face. I'm really excited to begin writing this again now that I have everything figured out, and I hope to spend the majority of the rest of my day outlining and writing (though I also have an environmental science paper to write, so take that at face value).

Again, I apologize profusely for the delays. The next chapter will be up fairly soon. Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me even after I fell off the face of the planet (especially those of you who messaged me asking about updates). It's you guys that make me want to write.

Thanks!


	9. 09: Back to Black

**Chapter 09: Back to Black**

The sky above was clear, the road ahead was winding and the Crosstransceiver was ringing. What more could Delaney ask for?

She was just past Striaton when she noted a daycare on her right, but shuddered at the thought of small children as she grabbed the ringing Crosstransceiver. Children made her nervous- it was part of the only child thing. It was her goal to get past the daycare unnoticed, because with her luck, somebody would've had the insight to give them pokemon and they would want to battle. She ignored the tots out playing on the playground completely as she answered the call with a smile, assuming it was her father checking in after their talk (and her freakout) yesterday. Instead, a much younger male with wiry blonde hair and electric blue eyes filled her screen, and Delaney squealed. "Dax!"

"Delaney Christa Caldwell!" he chirped. "That in the background does _not_ look like a house in Nuvema Town… Not like I've been there, but I'm assuming it's like Twinleaf. Where the hell are you?"

"Shhh," she said, looking around to make sure nobody had heard Dax. "Delaney Christa Caldwell is not supposed to be in Unova. It's Christa White that you're speaking to. I'm, um… travelling. I just left Striaton City, if you know where that is."

"No clue," he admitted. "But wow! I'm excited you finally listened to me! I knew you would eventually! Any new friends yet? Or cute boys?"

"Not a single one of either," Delaney chuckled, deciding to let Dax continue to think his insisting had been the cause of her new journey. "But I did just get my first gym badge. Arceus, it's been so long since I've said that."

"Think of it as your ninth," Dax suggested. "That will probably make you feel like less of a newbie."

"No," she said quickly. "I don't want to think of this journey as anything like the last one. This is new." She paused and then burst out into another grin. She was so excited to finally be talking to Dax. "How's the Frontier? And what happened to the guy from last time?"

"Oh, we happened to meet again at the Battle Factory," Dax said with a sigh. "It was there that I also met his girlfriend."

"Bummer," Delaney said as she turned the corner past the daycare… Only to see three people on the path up ahead, and the straight black hair on one of them was a dead giveaway on who she was about to be dealing with. "Can I call you back this evening when I get to Nacrene?"

"Not a problem," he said with a grin. "It was nice getting to talk to you at all. I miss flying to your house and interrogating you."

"And I miss being questioned by the firing squad," she said with a chuckle. "Call you later." She hung up just as she reached the group. Cheren was looking serious as usual, while Bianca had her arm around a much younger girl who was in hysterical tears, much like Bianca had been the last time Delaney had seen her.

"Oh Christa, thank goodness it's you!" Bianca cried, despite the fact that she had been all but cursing Delaney's name last time they had battled. "We need your help!" And with that, she turned to the younger girl. "It's okay, Christa can help us. She's a really strong trainer, maybe even stronger than Cheren."

From the looks of it, Cheren resented that remark, though Delaney was hoping he wasn't about to freak out and yell at her, since she wasn't the one who said it. "What do you need help with?" Delaney asked carefully, making sure not to agree to this without knowing what she was heading into.

"A couple of guys in weird costumes just came by and stole this little girl's lillipup," Cheren said pragmatically. Delaney felt her breath catch in her throat. No. Not again. She was _not _doing this again. "They said they were part of Team Plasma. They ran into the cave over there. They can't have gone far, so if you and I both go after them, we should be able to beat them and get the pokemon back in no time."

"No," Delaney said before she could stop herself. Cheren and Bianca turned their heads quickly to look at her in utter confusion. "I can't. Cheren, you're a great trainer. You can take them."

"Christa, please," Bianca said, pleading with her eyes. Judging by the look on Bianca's face, Delaney might as well have just hit her, or stolen the lillipup herself. The blonde girl looked absolutely wounded at the thought of Christa not helping.

With his friend close to tears (yet again), Cheren struck out at her. "What kind of person are you?" he asked disgustedly. "How can you be so selfish?"

"Bianca, why don't you go in there and get the pokemon back?" Christa asked, desperately fishing for an out.

"I don't think I'm strong enough to battle them," the blonde said, a blush rising in her cheeks. "And somebody needs to stay with this poor sweetheart. Christa, you're strong. I know you don't like us, but this isn't about us. This is about this little girl, and it's about not letting those people get away with this. We need you."

Delaney wished she could tell Cheren and Bianca that this wasn't about how much she did or didn't like them. It wasn't about her dislike of children (not that they knew about that anyways, but still). It wasn't even that she just didn't want to. There was just no way that she was letting her journey turn into that again. She was done with the evil organizations, done with the pressure, done with the expectations. She was a fairly good trainer, yes, but there were plenty of trainers who were good that didn't get stuck in these kinds of situations. Why couldn't she be one of them?

Because nobody asked _them._

Delaney sighed, as she looked from person to person. The child was wailing. Bianca looked woebegone. Cheren looked angry. Finally, he turned his back on the three females and said, "I'll go alone then. I'll be back."

"Cheren, you don't know if they're dangerous or not!" Bianca called after him.

He turned around and scoffed. "They're just losers in costumes, how tough can they be?"

And against her better judgment, Delaney sighed and said, "Wait! I'm going with you!" Because despite the fact that Delaney really did not like Cheren, and despite the fact that she had just proposed the idea of him going in alone less than five minutes before, this was a burden that nobody deserved to take on alone.

* * *

><p>Wellspring Cave was damp and a bit dark. The sound of fluttering wings filled the air, reminding Delaney of the zubats and golbats who filled Sinnoh caves- but there were no zubats here, were there?<p>

As if on cue, a blue, shaggy creature with a piggish nose and fairly small wings darted through the air, screeching loudly. Delaney jumped back a bit- she didn't know it was possible for her to dislike any one pokemon more than she disliked Zubat, but as she was learning here in Unova, really, anything was possible. Cheren glared at her, as if to mock her for jumping out of the pokemon's path. He was more focused on the task in front of him- and now, the people in front of them. Two people in costumes like the ones she saw in Accumula stood in front of them. With them was a lillipup, smaller than any of the ones she had seen previously, shivering behind one of the Plasma members.

"Can we help you?" asked the red-headed Plasma member on the left snidely.

"Yeah, we're here to get Lillipup back!" Cheren said, glaring at the guy in the costume. Despite the very serious situation at hand, Delaney nearly laughed at Cheren's very cliché choice of words. The boy was a good trainer, no doubt, but he lacked creativity. But then Delaney remembered that she was in a cave with a stupid team that stole pokemon that she had to fight, and the urge to laugh was gone, and she was left feeling all too familiar.

"Yeah right, kid," the second Team Plasma member sneered, crossing his arms. "But we can take your pokemon off your hands too, if you'd like."

"You'd have to beat me first, and that's not likely to happen," Cheren said with a smirk. With that, he grabbed a pokeball out of his bag and released the pokemon that she had once seen him battle Bianca with, the snide reptile with a smirk mimicking the one currently on Cheren's face. He shot an expectant look at Delaney, waiting for her to release a pokemon. Biting her bottom lip, as she tended to do when she was nervous, she called out Perry, who looked rather happy to see her. Both members of Team Plasma released small, twitchy rats that looked eager to pounce on Cheren's pokemon, as well as her own. She remembered from battles along the route to Striaton that these pokemon were called Patrat, and had a pretty vicious bite, even though they were of the normal-typing. She also remembered that even though they were fairly quick, they often failed to be able to defend themselves, so they were easy to take down in just a couple of hits. The two Team Plasma members would be simple to take down, just as they all were.

Attempting to focus on the task at him, Delaney called for a water gun from Perry just as Cheren ordered his pokemon to use his vine whip (apparently Delaney had correctly guessed that his pokemon was a grass-type). The Team Plasma members looked surprised that their opponents were not so weak. The snarky member on the left glared at them, his blue eyes shining with determination… And fear.

"_Tell me this isn't what it looks like."_

_It was a demand, not a statement, because Delaney wanted him to contradict every thought running through her head at the moment. The cave was empty, Azelf was gone and in the middle of it all stood Alex in the stupid fucking uniform with the stupid fucking hat. "I'm sorry," was all he could say. She had never hated anybody so much in her life. She had raced to get here, truly believing that in this cave, she would find Mars, or Jupiter, or even Cyrus. He wasn't capable of this. He couldn't do this. "Del, I'm sorry," he repeated, a little louder and more clearly. Those blue eyes were begging with her, but Delaney wasn't about to give in._

"_How do you apologize for something like this?"_

The same burning sensation in her chest that she felt in the Lake Valor cave was burning now as she stood in Wellspring Cave. Perry looked up at her, more worried about his trainer than the situation at hand. Cheren was holding the battle well even without her help- the patrats were no match for him. And though she could hardly breathe, she still choked out a halfhearted "tackle the patrat on the left, Perry", though she could honestly care less about the battle.

_She hadn't even realized that she had dropped to her knees until he had gotten down onto his to embrace her and try calming her down. Sobs wracked her small frame, her platinum fair falling into her face as she pulled her head to her knees and cried. How had she gotten herself into such a mess?_

_ "Del, I'm sorry," he repeated again, this time pleading with her. "I didn't have a choice."_

_ "Is that your go-to excuse?" Delaney asked coldly. "What's your next one? Cyrus made you do it?"_

_ "You know he did!" Alex argued, clearly hurt by Delaney's anger. "I wouldn't choose to do something like this!"_

_ "But why you? Why couldn't Cyrus have done this himself? Or why couldn't Jupiter or Mars do this? Arceus, Alex, you're better than this!" _

Delaney hadn't noticed the patrat duo had fallen. She hadn't noticed the redheaded member shove money into Cheren's hands and stare at her awkwardly, as if she were completely crazy (well, she kind of was). She hadn't noticed that the lillipup had been placed in Cheren's temporary custody, or that even the lillipup was shooting her questioning looks.

She hadn't even realized that she had fallen to her knees, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought.

_"Delaney, you don't understand. I can't just tell him no," he said pleadingly._

_ "And why not, Alex? Because you're a a coward!" she said angrily, nearly yelling. There were dead pokemon outside the entrance to the cave, injured people unable to leave because of Team Plasma's presence, a legendary pokemon stolen to be used in some nefarious plot, and all Alex could say was that he couldn't tell Cyrus no?_

_He had nothing to say to that._

Cheren had placed an awkward hand on her shoulder, not really sure what to do with this crying girl that he despised. Delaney looked up blearily, her blah brown hair clinging to her wet face and for just a second, just a _split second_, Alex was standing there looking down at her and for a second, just a _split second_, Delaney thought her head might just explode.

But then of course, she began to see a bit more clearly, and she realized that even though the black hair was right, it was too long for Alex and that the eyes weren't Alex's bottomless blues, but stoic brown instead. And instead of the look of concern that Alex would have worn, there was a look of sheer awkward and confusion. It was most definitely Cheren, and she was most definitely disappointed.

"I just wanted to make sure you got your share of the prize money," Cheren said evenly, as he held out a hand of money. "It's not much, but I thought it was only fair."

"You keep it," she muttered. "I don't care about the prize money."

"I'm going to go return that girl's pokemon," he stated, clearly not willing to argue. "Are you going to be okay here on your own?"

"I'm going to stay here for awhile," she said quietly, more to herself than Cheren. And though she expected him to just leave, he stood there, not saying a word, deep in thought. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "I don't understand why Team Plasma scares you. They're a bunch of idiots in costumes."

"That's what you think at first," she muttered. "Then everything changes."

"What?" Cheren asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," she said with a sigh. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "There's so much you just don't understand."

"Try me," he challenged.

But instead of trying, Delaney just shook her head, and without so much as a goodbye, the bespectacled boy was gone, and Delaney was alone. She pulled her head to her knees and cried.

_"Alex, stop. We have to battle. This is how it goes. I can't stop fighting Team Galactic just because you're on the other side of the battlefield. Everybody is depending on me to beat Galactic Commander Saturn," she stated, scowling at his official title. The name left a bitter taste in her mouth. "So that's what I've got to do."_

A small pair of arms wrapped around her shoulder. Delaney looked up, startled, as she had forgotten that there was but still one entity in the cave, one small blue entity that didn't like people crying- Perry.

"I'm sorry, Perry," she said softly. "I blew it back there. It's a good thing you're good enough on your own to not need me to tell you what to do." And with that, she recalled the small blue otter with a sad smile on her face. She needed to be alone. "I'm not doing this again," she said (to no one in particular). "Not again."

_"So you're just going to leave then," he said quietly. "That's it."_

_ "Yeah," was all Delaney could say as she turned her back to him and headed for the mouth of the cave._

_ "I'll see you soon, Del." His voice echoed behind her with a sad ring to it and she left without so much as a goodbye._

_She wasn't at all sure if she would see him again, or if she wanted to._

In her pocket, the Crosstransiever began to ring. It could be a number of people, for all she knew- either one of her parents (she wouldn't be surprised if Bianca or Cheren had informed her mother of Delaney's freakout in the cave), or possibly Dax wondering why she hadn't yet called back. But no matter who it was, she couldn't explain what had happened to her as she battled Team Plasma, and even if she could, there was nobody for her to tell.

There was too much that they didn't understand.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note (1208): Well, look at this! I have finally ceased to stop sucking at updating, and actually made two updates within a week! Aren't you proud of me? (:**_

_**The Team Plasma member mentioned with the red hair is a brief OC appearance- Josh, submitted by ej92. You'll be seeing more of him later, pinky promise.**_

_**I'm sorry that this chapter is rather brief, but the next one will be better, I promise. At least one more OC will be present in the next chapter, so keep a lookout!**_

_**As always, thank you for reading and reviewing! The wonderful words I get to come home to inspire me to no end.**_

**_~DarkAngelTorchic_  
><strong>


	10. 10: Hold On to What You Believe

**Chapter 10: Hold On to What You Believe**

It had been bright and sunny when Delaney had walked through the arch leading out of Striaton City. As she reached a sign that welcomed her to Nacrene City, the lights were on in the artsy lofts that made up the town, and the people that walked the streets wore jackets, as the temperature had fallen after the sun went down. It was still a lovely night though, and the streets were alive. Despite the events of the day, Delaney found herself smiling as she walked through the doors of Pokemon Center. She had spent most of her afternoon sitting in the cave, trying to find breath in her lungs, trying to find some sort of words to say. In the end though, Delaney had decided that maybe this was a fluke. She had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time (story of her life), and as long as she stuck to the beaten path and just focused on beating gym leaders, she didn't have to worry about Team Plasma.

She was _not_ going to become a hero again. That was that. Team Plasma was not her problem.

She handed her pokemon to the nurse on duty and asked for a room key, if there were any available, before taking a seat in the waiting area. She picked up a newspaper sitting on a table, and was disheartened to see that the main headline featured Team Galactic and their invasion on Hearthrome. Her father had mentioned that they had begun to move there after Veilstone had been completely taken over, but still, the idea of them being in her favorite place broke Delaney's heart. She could only hope that they would stay away from route 212, and her father. She was hoping that this time, the gym leaders (and the so-called authorities) were doing their part to get rid of Team Galactic. Delaney recalled her father stating that after the invasion of Veilstone, Maylene had been forced to close her gym. Didn't that mean that Maylene now had the time to dedicate to defeating Team Galactic? And _surely_ Fantina was now being granted the same luxury, now that Hearthrome had been invaded as well. Perhaps the two of them together could convince the rest that they needed to take action. After all, there was no way that Delaney could step in and save the day this time.

This time, when the nurse called the name Christa, Delaney's head snapped up instantly, and she went to collect her pokemon and room key. It bothered her slightly to think of how accustomed she was getting to being called Christa White, but it also meant that there was a very slim chance that anybody would take a guess at who she really was, and that was a good thing (or at the very least, it would please her father). She was more than happy to take Perry, Charlie and Dibs, the drilbur she had caught in Wellspring Cave, off of the nurse's hands, as well as take the key for her room (she was getting rather lucky with not being forced to camp- not that she was complaining). The night was still young- perhaps there was something Delaney could do to redeem what had been an overall not very good day. All of those people on the street had to have something to do, right?

After placing the three pokeballs and the room key in her trainer's bag, Delaney walked out of the Pokemon Center, glancing around. The lofts and cobbled streets gave Nacrene an artsy feel to it. She smiled to herself as she paced away from the Pokemon Center. Musicians played outside of door frames and fluorescent bulbs lit up galleries filled with pictures of people and pokemon. "It's you again," she heard said behind her, but she ignored it. She had met so few people that it wasn't really possible that the speaker could be talking to her. She continued to walk, and passed the gym, which was still brightly lit up. Maybe the leader would still be ready to battle… Maybe that was where she should be heading.

"Christa, right?" The voice was back. Delaney spun around, only to see the guy with long mint green hair that she had battled in Accumula- her first Unova battle. His name was… N, if she was remembering correctly, though she was sure she wasn't, because after all, who only had a single letter for a name?

"Right," she said with a small smile. She hadn't realized she had made a big enough impression on anybody to have them remember her. "And you're N. We battled in Accumula." Or at least she hoped he was N. If he wasn't, this was about to become very embarrassing.

"I remember you," he stated. Delaney couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. "Your pokemon spoke to me. I'd like to hear their voices again, if that's okay with you."

Delaney wasn't sure if this was some sort of act, or if this guy really believed that he could somehow really understand her pokemon that well. She often got the drift of what Perry and Charlie were trying to communicate to her, but she wasn't even remotely under the impression that she could understand them, or that they "spoke to her" without ever speaking. Somehow, she found herself playing along with him, saying "sure, but this time it won't be such an easy battle" (and then inwardly cringing at how stupid the words that she had actually spoken aloud were- apparently the clichés spouted off by Cheren in the cave had somehow sunk into her vocabulary).

N was frowning as he grabbed a pokeball and released a small blue and black tadpole. "Trainers are so quick to battle," he said softly with an air of disapproval on his breath. Delaney also frowned as she took out her pokedex to check out the unknown pokemon. She didn't understand how he could be so critical of trainers battling when he himself had pokemon and battled. Capturing pokemon only to make friends with them (as he had claimed during their first battle) was one thing, but it had been N who had challenged her to battle the first time. That made him no better than she was.

"It didn't take you too long to agree to the battle," Delaney pointed out as she checked back at her pokedex, which informed her that her opponent's pokemon was called tympole, and it was a water-type pokemon known as "the tadpole pokemon" (she never would've guessed). Thinking for but a second, she called out Charlie, who was wagging his stubby tail as he was released, a determined glint in his small eyes. Since battling Cilan in Striaton, Charlie had battled with a new sense of focus, one that Delaney was pretty grateful for. There was no doubt in either her brain, or Charlie's, that this tympole would soon be done for.

As Charlie slid back, unable to battle any longer, he was still wagging that tail at her. Delaney smiled at him, told him he had done a wonderful job and recalled him back so that he could rest. The timburr that had knocked Charlie flat was eagerly preparing to continue battle, but his trainer had a look of wide-eyed concern written all over his face. "Is he going to be okay?"

Delaney looked up at him. "Charlie? He'll be fine. A little resting and he'll be brand new," she said with a smile.

"How can you claim to care about your pokemon when you just let them get hurt over and over?" N asked, his tone becoming angry.

"Charlie's just tired, and maybe a little bruised up. He needs to rest and heal up and then he'll be fine," Delaney stated indignantly. "I care very much about my pokemon. How about you, N? You just commanded your timburr to attack my lillipup. Don't you love all pokemon? Why do you battle then?"

"Release one of your other pokemon." It was a statement, not a question.

"Excuse me?"

"One of your non-injured pokemon. Release one of them, so I can speak with them." N was adamant.

There was no sense in fighting further. Delaney grabbed both pokeballs of her other pokemon and released both Perry and Dibs. "Here. Converse all you want, N," Delaney stated with a roll of her eyes.

N bent down to wear Perry and Dibs stood, both clearly confused. "Can I ask you some questions about your trainer?" N said softly. Delaney was surprised by the change in his tone of voice. No longer was there frustration or indignance- just a bit of a childish giggle, and a smile as he continued to speak in a low voice. The two small pokemon were animated as they made noise and waved their small arms.

And the more they spoke, the quicker N's smile faded.

"I don't understand," he said, more to himself than anyone.

"N, by battling, we become friends with pokemon. We help them unlock their potential and they help us unlock our own," Delaney explained.

"Do you really believe that your oshawott is happier with you than it would have been with its family?" N asked, his voice becoming angry again.

"I don't know that. I do know that he lived in a pokemon lab before I got him and he was spending his time in a pokeball on a shelf and yes, I believe he's happier with me than he was on that shelf." Delaney paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm not the best trainer, N. I'm sometimes impatient and sometimes, yes, I push my pokemon too hard. But I know they're my friends first and foremost. Some trainers don't think like that. You probably encountered some of them and that's why you are how you are, and I'm sorry. Those trainers didn't deserve to have pokemon."

With that, N grabbed a pokeball and recalled his timburr, who had been looking at him quizzically since N had ceased to battle and began talking instead. "I'm sorry, my friends," he muttered.

"N, what are you doing?" Delaney asked.

"I don't want to battle anymore," was all he said, and with that, he walked off, leaving Delaney, Perry and Dibs to stare after him in utter confusion.

"What?" was all Delaney could say. In all of her time training, she had never once had her opponent just walk off in the middle of the match. For some reason that she couldn't explain, Delaney felt sorry for him.

"Still talking to yourself?" came another voice from behind her. Delaney spun around, only to see the trainer with the lillipup that she had battled before reaching Striaton City (Cream was her name, if Delaney remembered correctly) leaning against the post of a nearby building. "You've gotten a lot better. I'd challenge you myself if I didn't see the way that guy's timburr totally smashed down on your lillipup. He's a weirdo."

"Were you watching the whole thing?" Delaney asked, a bit unnerved. The idea that somebody had been watching her without her knowledge scared her. And why didn't N say something? From where he was standing, Cream had been directly in his sightline.

"What can I say, a random street battle was the closest thing to entertainment here," she said with a smirk, shrugging her thin shoulders "Even better when I saw it was you battling. I was hoping I'd see you lose, but unfortunately I didn't get that pleasure. I can't believe that kid just walked off in the middle of your battle."

"It was… definitely weird," Delaney muttered. "Are you here to battle the gym? Maybe we can battle tomorrow as practice."

Cream laughed. "Gym? Please. I've never seen the point in battling them. You train, and you stress and you agonize over what? A shiny hunk of metal? I find much more worthy things to fill my time."

"And what would that be?" Delaney asked, genuinely curious. She had taken the green-haired girl's words to heart- she remembered all too well wondering why she was doing the gym challenge in Sinnoh, when none of the badges ever seemed to matter to her.

The smirk on her face vanished. "I… I don't know," she admitted. And then the scowl returned. "But the badge thing? A waste of time. Do you know how few trainers actually complete all eight and get to the Pokemon League?" Yes, Delaney did know. Out of all the trainers she had battled, only herself, Dax and a small handful of others actually made it all the way. "You have to have a special kind of talent for that, and you're not going to get there by winning just because your opponent walks off."

"Well good thing I can win with my opponent still present at the end," Delaney said with a grin. "You proved to me a few days ago that I could do that."

Cream rolled her eyes. "That was a fluke," she said. Cream appeared to think for a moment, and then moved from the pole that she had been leaning on. "I've got to get to Castelia by the end of the night," she said finally. "I hope that gym leader really lays into you."

And with that, the green-haired girl was gone.

Delaney looked down at Perry and Dibs, who were still standing there, rather puzzled. "Well, it seems like every time we go out for some fun, we get interrupted," she said with a chuckle. "Let's just go back to the Pokemon Center. This has been a rather eventful evening." The two trailed behind Delaney as she began to head back.

Eventful evening indeed.

* * *

><p>There they stood, all in a line. Their voices were low, and their attention so focused that they hadn't even heard Delaney walking up towards them. They were plotting something, but she didn't know what, nor did she want to know. Delaney figured the forest adjacent to Nacrene would be the best place to train for her upcoming battle at the gym, but with Team Plasma there, there was no chance in hell that Delaney was going to get the training she needed there. Besides, with their line formation, there was no way for her to get past them.<p>

She headed back in the direction of Nacrene, only to notice a small patch of grass that she hadn't noticed on her way into the forest. She also noticed that the patch of grass wasn't lined on the side opposite of her by trees, but by open space. Perhaps she had a place she could train after all…

Delaney had one hand on the pokeball that contained Perry as she wandered through the grass. To her surprise, it was not open space on the other side- it was more grass and a large boulder, where a person in an oversized blue jacket and straight, shoulder-length dark brown hair was sitting. As Delaney got closer, she realized that it was a girl, and that she wasn't alone. Also on the boulder sat three small brown pokemon, with beady black eyes and buck teeth. A wide smile came across Delaney's face. Though they had once been the bane of her existence traveling in Sinnoh, Delaney had never been so happy to see them.

"Bidoof? Do they have those here?" she asked herself aloud, but the girl's head popped up. Delaney had apparently gotten her attention.

"No, they're from Sinnoh," she responded. "I brought them here with me." The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "That's the first time anybody has recognized them. You're not from around here." It was a statement, not a question.

"No, I'm from Sinnoh," Delaney admitted, her face turning red. Why had she opened her stupid mouth? What if she had just totally blown her cover to this complete stranger? Oh, her father would be _furious._ "I'm Christa White," she added, as if that would make up for her slip.

"I'm Paul," the girl said simply. Wasn't that a boy's name? Oh well, wasn't Delaney's concern.

"I didn't think anybody would train bidoof here," Delaney stated. "They're not exactly… native." She had almost slipped and said _special_, seeing as how there were a million and one of them in Sinnoh, and almost every rookie trainer had one. Why anybody would want to train three of them in a land where there were so many more potentially cool pokemon (well, maybe- it wasn't like Delaney knew about more than a small handful of them) was a mystery to her.

"I don't _train _them," the girl explained, putting the emphasis on train. "I'm a bidoof coordinator."

"A what?" Delaney asked. She had heard of coordinators in places like Hoenn, but those had to do with contests, and Delaney hadn't cared much for them back in Sinnoh, but a… Bidoof coordinator? Did they really have those now?

"A bidoof coordinator," she explained, her tone growing impatient. "Nobody understands how really great they are." With that, she beckoned to the three bidoof on the boulder. "Show her what we've been working on, guys!"

The three pokemon just sat on the boulder, blinking up at the girl, who was turning quite a shade of red. "Cinn, Jin, Lynn… Come on. Please?" But the bidoof were unrelentless in their quest to do absolutely nothing. She turned back to Delaney. "They don't like me much," she explained, a bit embarrassed.

"Mine are still getting used to me, too," Delaney explained understandingly. "So you're not a trainer then? You don't battle?"

"Well, I have a timburr, but he doesn't like to listen to me either," she stated a bit sadly. "If we battled, it'd be an easy win for you, but I guess trainers like to win so we can battle if you want."

Delaney shook her head. "No, that's okay," she said. "Can I ask why you're a coordinator and not a trainer? Don't all kids want to grow up and be the best trainer ever?" Delaney certainly had. It had taken her awhile to begin her journey, but she had dreamed of being a gym leader or elite 4 member since she was little. Most trainers she knew had been aspiring to greatness since a young age as well.

"Well, I really want to be a ranger," the girl confided. "I went to ranger school and everything. I saw a bidoof there for the first time when we were doing practice battles. Nobody else wanted to use Bidoof, but I thought they were so cool. I realized that before I become an official ranger, I want the world to see Bidoof the way I do. So I got Cin, Lynn and Jin and headed off here."

To have that sort of passion about anything was enviable to Delaney. Once upon a time, she had felt so strongly about battling, back in the days where it had just been her, Blitzkrieg (back when he was an unnamed chimchar), Samuel and a random psyduck named Quackers that she had picked up in hopes of beating Roark (he had eventually gone to stay in her father's garden). Back in those days, her badges really meant something to her. In the last six months, she hadn't been able to find anything that made her feel quite so alive. The look on this girl's face as she talked about her dreams- Delaney envied it.

Delaney smiled at the girl. "I hope you get what you want," she said to her.

"Are you doing the gym challenge?" the girl asked Delaney.

"Yeah. I'm on badge number two," Delaney told her.

"Good luck," the girl said with a smile. "I met Lenora when I visited the museum. She's really nice, but I hear she's tough."

"Good," Delaney said with a grin. "I sure hope so." She paused. "I hope I run into you again somewhere, but if I don't, good luck on your journey. I'm sure you'll make a great coordinator."

"Thanks," the girl said as she turned to the three bidoof on the rock again. "We have a lot of practice ahead of us, guys." Still the three of them sat, looking puzzled at the girl.

And with that, Delaney headed further into the grass. Her hand had never left Perry's pokeball and now, she grabbed the ball and released the small otter pokemon. She also let Dibs and Charlie out. "Come on guys, we have a lot of work today. We're going to beat Lenora tonight," she said with a smile. To believe in something so strongly… Maybe that's what Delaney was searching for on this journey. Passion, determination, strength… and something to believe in, something worth fighting for.

A grey and white bird (Delaney recognized it as a pidove) landed right in from of Dibs, who looked up at her eagerly, ready for sparring. "Let's go!" she shouted with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note (1227):** Before I say anything else, I would like to give a HUGE thank you to two people who have really been a huge help writing this story: **YamiRuss**, an awesome reviewer, has been going through my outlines and such and helping me out with plotting, and **Noteleks**, another awesome reviewer whose story I'm beta-ing (Gotta Steal Em All? Johto- read it. Seriously.), has been helping me refine ideas that I've been quite hesistant about, as well as giving me constant motivation and encouragement. These two are AWESOME. Thank you both so much for your help! In other news- I'm a day later than I intended to be, so I'm so sorry! Chapter 11 will be much quicker. It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Lastly, note two OC appearances in this chapter- Cream, who we've seen before, still belongs to **maddiepink5**, and Paul, the bidoof coordinator, belongs to **Sunbean**. This isn't the last we'll be seeing of either of the two._

_Thank you to all of you who continue to read and review. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for the feedback, whether it's negative or positive. Thanks! (:  
><em>


	11. 11: Trouble is a Friend

**Chapter 11: Trouble is a Friend**

"So you're back," Lenora said with a wide grin. "You don't give up, do you, Christa? I didn't think you would. I've been waiting all day for you to return. Let's have an even better battle than before."

_As Delaney pushed the bookcase back to reveal a set of stairs leading down, down to where Lenora the gym leader was more than likely waiting, a rush of excitement raced through her veins. She pushed a strand of her brunette hair back behind her ear and began the trek down._

_ There, at the back of the room, standing in front of massive bookshelves that reminded her of the ones in her father's library back in Sinnoh, was a curvy woman with dark skin, teal hair tied back with a head scarf and a large, welcoming smile on her face. "Why hello there!" she greeted the small brunette in front of her warmly. "Welcome to the Nacrene City gym! I'm Lenora, and I'm not only the gym leader, but also the director of the Nacrene museum!"_

_ "I'm Christa," the brunette said meekly, feeling a sudden overwashing of nerves mix in with her previous moment's excitement._

_ "Are you ready, Christa?" Lenora asked her with a grin. "I think we're about to have ourselves a fantastic battle!"_

This time, Christa did not send out the determined oshawott who had been with her since day one of her journey. Instead, a sleek teal otter with a narrow determined look, armed with two scalchops at his hips, was staring at Lenora and the herdier she had released. Yes, Perry had evolved into what her pokedex called a dewott, and now after losing, Perry was ready to kick some serious ass.

_Lillipup and patrat on their own were nothing to sweat. The same could not be said for the watchog and herdier that Lenora had trained. Perry had tried, but faltered. The small otter had been slammed into and knocked down repeatedly and it was only naturally for him to not get up at some point. Charlie, as determined as he was, couldn't stand the sheer force of the evolved pokemon._

_ Somehow, Charlie and Perry had finished off the watchog, with the eager puppy finishing up where the otter left off. But the two had fallen, and it was now up to Dibs to beat Herdier. _

This time, Lenora was apparently saving the watchog for last, but she was grinning broadly at the dewott Delaney had released. "It looks like you've done some serious training," she said. "Now, Herdier, crunch down on that dewott! Bite it!"

"You're quicker," Delaney retorted to Perry. "Dodge it, and use your water gun!" A small shoot of water blasted the puppy in the face, injuring it not too greatly, but stunning it for a moment. "Now tackle it to the ground!"

Lenora looked a bit perplexed. "Herdier, don't let Dewott get the best of you! Dodge that tackle and then take him down!"

_The large dog narrowed its eyes in an intense glare, throwing Dibs off a bit, and Delaney saw it. She saw the nervousness in his eyes. She saw fear, and she understood it. It was beginning to look like this wasn't going to be the amazing victory she had hoped._

_ That didn't mean that she was giving up though. "Use your sand attack. Kick some dirt up at this puppy and while he can't see, start scratching!"_

_ She hadn't counted on the fact that the herdier would immediately start going wild. Despite the loss of his vision, he could still sense Dibs close to him, probably felt the wind ruffle his fur as Dibs made wild attempts to scratch Herdier without getting trampled in the meantime, and within two minutes, the herdier charged and his opponent, poor Dibs, flew back. _

_He didn't get up._

"Perry, throw one of your scalchops at him!" Delaney called (and yes, she had finally learned what those shells were called). The scalchop from Perry's left side was grabbed and thrown through the air like a ninja star.

Lenora's eyes widened. "Stop, Herdier! Don't get any closer!" But the dog had too much momentum to stop now. All he could do was try to turn, so he did, but not quickly enough. The scalchop still hit him on his abdomen, and left a bit of a gash. The herdier collapsed where he was, and this time, he stayed down.

_"Oh Dibs, I'm so sorry," Delaney cried as she rushed to the mole Pokémon's side. She recalled him to his pokeball. "You deserve a good rest. Thank you for trying so hard." With her pokemon resting and a loss under her belt, Delaney got up and looked Lenora straight in the eye. "Thank you for the battle," she stated with a small smile. "This isn't the last time you'll see me, though. I'll be back and next time, I may even win."_

_ Lenora chuckled. "I'm counting on it, Christa. I hope I'll be seeing you very soon." And with that, Delaney headed back up those stairs._

"Herdier, you did so great!" Lenora cooed as she sat by his side. The gash was bleeding a little bit. She recalled him to his pokeball and then grabbed the other. It was time for Watchog now.

"He's not hurt badly, is he?" Delaney asked, concerned. She turned to Perry. "Maybe we should start saving that for opponents with a bit more armor," she told him.

Lenora smiled at her. "Herdier will be just fine. It's just a surface cut. I have just the medicine for it upstairs." And with that, she threw the pokeball in her hand and released the watchog. "You know what to do, Watchog," she said with a little grin.

"Be prepared to spray it," Delaney muttered under her breath. Perry stood firm, ready to shoot powerful jets of water out at anybody who dared to come near him.

Watchog _did_ know exactly what to do. He charged at Perry with incredible fervor and knocked the otter clear back, just as Herdier had done to Dibs in the previous battle. Perry skidded back a few feet, hitting a wall, and just like the mole pokemon before him, he didn't get up.

_She didn't dare go out after returning from the gym, seeing as how it was already getting late and her pokemon were exhausted, even after being healed. Delaney released the three after returning to her room. She sat cross-legged at the edge of the bed while Perry, Dibs and Charlie stared up at her. "You guys did amazing today," she said with a smile. "I couldn't have asked for you to do any better than you did, and I'm so proud of you. But tomorrow? We're going to go out into the grass and learn a few new tricks, okay?"_

_ Charlie jumped up onto the bed excitedly, crawling in Delaney's lap. Dibs cheered from where he sat on the floor. The petite brunette trainer giggled. So this is what it was like to actually have fun on a journey. She had almost forgotten._

_ "Come on, guys, it's time for bed," she said with a yawn, though the smile didn't leave her face. "It's late and we have a gym battle to win tomorrow." And with that, Delaney got up and shut off the light. Dibs made a bed out of some extra sheets and pillows right next to his trainer's bed, while Charlie curled up at her feet and Perry plopped down in a chair._

_She couldn't remember the last time she had fallen asleep so quickly, and with a smile on her face at that._

"That is by far the best you've ever battled. I'm so proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself," Delaney whispered to Perry as she recalled him. He deserved a nice rest after his hard work. Contemplating for but a second, she threw her next pokeball onto the battlefield and with a flash of white light, Charlie materialized with a determined smirk on his little face. "Are you ready for this, Charlie?" she called out. The lillipup glanced back at her, his grin only widening. Oh, he was ready all right.

"Crunch down on that puppy, Watchog!" Lenora called.

"Don't you dare let him, Charlie," Delaney called with a grin. "Let's try what we worked on yesterday! Tackle him!" But instead of heading directly for the watchog, Charlie circled him and went at him from behind, focusing on his ankles. Charlie charged at the watchog and both Delaney and Lenora watched as Watchog lost his balance and tumbled over. "Now, Charlie, bite him!"

The savage puppy tore into Watchog with a vengeance, chomping down on his leg. "While he's at close range, retaliate!" Lenora called. The watchog slammed into Charlie nearly as hard as he had Perry and Charlie flew back and hit the wall, just as his teammates had at one point.

But unlike Perry, and unlike Dibs, Charlie popped back up with a wicked little glare on his face. He was ready to rumble once more. That was the thing about Charlie- he was absolutely, positively resilient. Delaney smiled. This new focusing thing of Charlie's was something she could definitely get used to.

_As Delaney headed further into the grass, she was hoping she would run into Paul, the girl from before, the bidoof coordinator. The girl's passion had inspired Delaney to train and head to the gym that night- and they had lost. Why? How had Delaney lost the battle when inspiration was coursing through Delaney's veins in a way it hadn't since the very beginning of her Sinnoh adventure?_

_There was only one way that question could be answered: Lenora was strong, so Delaney needed to become stronger too._

_ It had been a long time since creative battle tactics and a little bit of inspiration failed to win Delaney a match, but not too long ago, she had been battling with a full team of fully evolved pokemon who had already been through intensive training and learned crazy, but somehow effective, techniques to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Now, it was time for her new team to do the same._

_ The three pokemon stood staring up at her, just as they had the night before. Delaney stood there in another pair of denim cutoffs and a large, shapeless red t-shirt knotted in the back to not be so huge on her. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the look on her face said she meant business. She was fully prepared to get down in the mud with them if it helped them learn. "Okay, you guys, it's time to do some real training. We're going to train hard, but not for very long, because tonight," she said, a grin bursting out across her face, "we beat Lenora."_

* * *

><p>After hitting the wall, Charlie had lost some of his speed. He was tired, and she could tell he was hurting. She could also tell that if she pulled him out of battle now, he would be remarkably pissed off. He reminded her a bit of Samuel at the moment, her determined luxray that was probably hanging out in the garden. She felt a pang of guilt. Dax had been right- those pokemon deserved more than just hanging out in the garden, or simply going on walks around the property. They deserved to be out training to their full potential. Delaney vowed that if she was ever allowed to return home, she would go out and really do something- maybe go to the Battle Frontier with Dax, maybe even challenge the gym leaders to rematches. She also vowed to call her father when she finished her battle. She hoped she could tell him that she was just returning from winning her second Unova badge.<p>

Delaney narrowed her eyes, and somehow, she knew that Charlie was doing the same. Lenora chuckled a bit to her. "That lillipup is awful tired," she called out to her watchog. "Let's try to give it a chance to take a nice rest. Use your hypnosis!"

Unfortunately, Charlie's dead-on glare made it susceptible to the attack and before Delaney could yell at him to try to dodge it somehow, the puppy's eyelids were closing and he dropped to the ground. Well, so much for a comeback. "You still did great," Delaney whispered as she bent down next to him to recall him. "I'm proud of you for getting back up. You're getting to be quite a force to reckon with, Charlie my dear." And with that, she called the lillipup back into his pokeball so he could get some proper rest.

Delaney was done to one last pokemon to get the job done, but she wavered not at all. "You've got this, Dibs!" she called as she threw the final pokeball into the battlefield. Dibs appeared within seconds with his usual goofy, cheerful grin on his face, ready for action. "Remember what we worked on?" Delaney asked with a grin.

"Okay, Watchog, let's put this one to sleep too!" Lenora called out, but Delaney noticed something in her eyes that gave the small brunette hope. It was the same look Delaney had worn herself yesterday. She was resigning herself to a loss.

"Dig under the battlefield to avoid it!" Delaney yelled out. The drilbur's large white blades began to rotate and the mole pokemon dove, and broke ground. There was no way that Dibs would allow Lenora and her watchog to put _him_ to sleep. Delaney could only imagine him tunneling underneath with incredible speed.

She didn't want to call out the next order yet, as she wasn't sure if Dibs could hear her or not, and so she waited. She waited, and Lenora waited, and Watchog waited. After an incredible amount of silence, Delaney began to notice the ground next to Watchog quivering just a little bit as if something was about to burst out. How the meerkat-like pokemon didn't notice it was a mystery to Delaney, but it made the unveiling of Dibs bursting through the gym floor moments later just that much more amazing. The watchog was knocked flat off its feet just out of shock. Dibs popped out of the hole he had made with a triumphant grin, standing upon dirt and rubble and-

_Dirt. _"Okay, Dibs, _now_ use your sand attack to get some dirt in Watchog's eyes and scratch at him while he can't see you to attack back!" she called. Perhaps it would work with Watchog better than it had Herdier.

Dibs wasted no time to spraying the watchog with sediment and then attacking with his claws. The watchog didn't even have the chance to get back up before eventually Dibs stopped, realizing that the watchog had been knocked out and that he, Dibs, was victorious.

Delaney's eyes grew wide. "That was awesome, Dibs!" she cried, running across the battlefield to where the mole pokemon was standing with a broad smile on his face. Delaney picked him up and gave him a huge hug (though careful to stay clear of his claws). "I'm so proud of you!"

Lenora strolled slowly to where Watchog was laying. "You did a good job," she said with a smile. "Sometimes we just have to admit defeat though." Lenora reached into her packet and took a few steps further to where Delaney stood with her arms still around her pokemon. "That was quite a victory, Miss Christa."

Delaney set Dibs down back on the battlefield. "Thank you, Lenora," she said, beaming.

Lenora held out a small rectangular badge adorned with purple and gold. "This is the Basic Badge. You've earned this." Though she hated to admit it, her hand was trembling as she took it and put it in her old badge case next to the Trio Badge. Lenora opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by the sounds of a struggle upstairs. Male voices above the two screamed above their heads. "Oh dear. I think we should go check on that. Come on, Christa."

_Come on, Christa?_ Christa White didn't have to have any part of this. She had completed her battle. The badge was in her badge case. As far as she was concerned, she could rush out the door when she got upstairs, and it would be nobody's business. With each step up, a pit in Delaney's stomach grew larger. She would put money on that fact that Team Plasma was probably involved- and that Delaney would soon be involved as well. She began to think of ways to politely decline (seeing as how she didn't want to offend Lenora, who had been so nice to her already).

It was too bad Delaney hadn't put money on the involvement of Team Plasma, because the museum was swarmed with grunts. Lenora pushed through crowds, her hand on Delaney's wrist, dragging the petite brunette with her, until she was standing face to face with a sneering Plasma member. "Thanks for the goodies, Lenora!" he laughed and with that, the flooding of Plasma members moved outside.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Lenora asked. Her eyes then became wide. "What did they take?" It was good that the crowd was thinning, because it meant that she could locate her husband Hawes much more easily. "Hawes, what did they take?"

Hawes couldn't speak. He only pointed up. Both Lenora and Delaney lifted their heads. They were standing beneath a massive dragon skeleton… That was missing a head. "They took the skull?" Lenora hollered. Delaney could only stare in shock. What kind of weirdoes _were_ these people? Were they in some kind of cult?

Lenora strode outside, her steps big and full of anger. Delaney followed her, not knowing what else to do. It made her sad to see such a kind person in such distress, especially when the distress was caused by people like Team Plasma. Unfortunately, the members of Plasma had disbursed (more than likely into the forest- _this_ was what those grunts Delaney saw had been planning). Now only a few bystanders remained. One of such bystanders, an attractive young man with longer wavy light brown hair, brightly colored clothing and a brown corduroy sack hanging off one shoulder, walked up to Lenora. "What's the commotion all about?" he asked.

"Team Plasma made off with the skulls of one of my exhibits," Lenora said angrily, her vice slightly trembling.

"That's creepy," he said, wrinkling his nose. "Where are they now?"

"I think they went into the forest," Delaney piped up. "I saw a few grunts in there earlier."

"You're a new face," he said, staring at Delaney as if trying to figure her out. "I'm Burgh, Castelia City gym leader."

"This is Christa," Lenora jumped in. "She was just finishing up her gym battle when those awful people came in. First trainer to beat me in awhile. This one's really something, Burgh," she said with a broad smile, the frustration wiping off her face for just a moment. Delaney felt her face turn red. Lenora then gazed back at the museum, as if remembering why they were gathered out there.

"I look forward to getting the pleasure to battle you sometime," Burgh said with a playful grin, but the moment had passed. Lenora was back in _take-charge, kick-ass_ mode.

"I need to ask a huge favor of the two of you," she stated. "I can't leave the museum to chase after those thieves. There's no way they've gotten further than the forest, but if they get out, there's no way to catch them."

Delaney was filled with absolute dread, because if Lenora was going where she thought she was, there was no way she could say no. All of the excuses that she had previously come up with were now useless. She couldn't disappoint these gym leaders who obviously thought so highly of her, especially not Lenora. Burgh was already taking care of answering, though. "They won't get to Castelia," he stated. "We'll get them." He paused. "That is, if you don't mind helping me, Christa."

She didn't have to say anything. He knew what her answer was.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?" Delaney heard the high soprano voice approaching before she saw them, and inwardly she cringed. She didn't think this could get much worse, but it was about to.

"Bianca, that's the gym leader, Lenora!" she could hear Cheren say. Lenora and Burgh both turned to look at the oncoming trainers. Cheren and Bianca advanced on the trio quickly. _Oh boy._

"Are you trainers?" Lenora asked them, her voice once again becoming sweet.

"Yes, and we were hoping to battle you today!" Cheren said eagerly. For the first time, Cheren noticed Delaney standing behind Lenora. "Hello, Christa."

"Oh, Christa, it's you!" Bianca squealed. "Did you already beat Lenora?" Delaney only nodded. Cheren scowled, obviously irate that she had gotten there before the other two had.

"I'm not battling right now, I'm sorry," Lenora responded. "Team Plasma just took off with one of my exhibits!"

"Is there any way we can help?" Bianca asked in a sweet voice.

"You could always come with us into the forest, if you'd like! The more of us there are, the less likely they'll be able to escape!" Burgh said eagerly.

Bianca's wide eyes got a bit sad. "I don't think I'm strong enough to go after them," she said quietly. Within seconds though, she brightened back up, excited about a new idea. "I know! Cheren could go with you two, because you're strong and he's strong, and I can stay here with Lenora in case they come back!"

Lenora shrugged. "If that's okay with you and Christa, Burgh," was all she said.

Cheren gave Delaney a skeptical look. It was clear from then on that this probably wasn't going to be much fun… But perhaps Burgh could keep the peace. "Let's go get them!" the cheerful young man said and grabbing Delaney's wrist in one hand and Cheren's in the other, partially dragging the two away from the museum, they began to set off.

"Wait, my pokemon are still weak though from battling Lenora!" Delaney argued. "I need to go heal them!"

"I have a lot of different remedies in my bag," Burgh offered. "I'll give them to you before we split up."

_Split up?_ With weird skull-stealers in an unfamiliar dark forest? This was going to be quite dandy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note (1229):** __Bet you didn't expect to see this chapter so soon! (: I intended just to start it and work on it a little bit at a time over the next week, but I got so into it that I ended up finishing a lot earlier than I expected. Consider this my apology for the few weeks between 9 and 10. Starting with the next chapter, expect once a week updates, more than likely on Fridays, as I will have Fridays off next semester._

_PS: If you had a hard time following the narrative between the battle in real time and the flashback battle in italics, just paste all of the sections in italics in a separate document and read them that way. They make sense. (:  
><em>

_Another big thank you to **Noteleks** and **YamiRuss**, who have been helping me TONS with outlining and random details as far as this story goes._

_And also, another big thank you to you for taking the time to sit and read this chapter (and perhaps reviewing it as well). I hope you enjoyed it, and I appreciate you. (:  
><em>


	12. 12: I'll Run

**Chapter 12: I'll Run**

It wasn't too often Delaney was in touch with nature. Actually, Delaney usually could care less. She loved to travel, and see everything that nature had to offer her, but when it came to, say, camping, or hiking through forests looking for Team Plasma members with a rude boy who made it all too clear that he actively disliked her, Delaney was not too keen. Her trusty old running shoes were usually perfect for all that nature threw at her, but on this day (of _course_ it would be this day), they just simply weren't enough. Grasses and weeds grew rampant all around her, going way over the tops of the high-top shoes, some of them even reaching her knees. It made for hard walking through Pinwheel Forest and Delaney, usually a quick walker, was struggling to keep up with Cheren, who was quite a bit taller than Delaney (and with longer legs, the lucky jerk) and not having nearly as hard of a time.

Cheren was irate. The boy had probably imagined fighting side by side with Burgh, revered gym leader of Castelia, against a pack of Plasma members, and instead, Burgh was at the back of the forest near the exit on the other side, waiting for anybody trying to escape, while Cheren was stalking through the thick grass with Christa White. Naturally, his obvious irritation only made this even harder for Delaney, who was wondering why she hadn't found some excuse to use on the gym leaders. With Cheren and Burgh on the case, why did they even need her?

After about ten minutes of silent walking (well, silent besides the rustling grass), the duo finally ran into a grunt who was chattering eagerly with a Crosstransceiver. Upon noticing the two trainers (who couldn't exactly creep up on him), he hung up from his conversation and sneered at them, a few bits of blonde hair sticking out from the hood of the Team Plasma uniform. "You two must be the trainers the boss warned us about," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, more than likely," Delaney said with a roll of her eyes. "Can we just get this over with?" Both the Plasma member and Cheren looked at her disbelievingly. Delaney shrugged. "What? If memory serves me well, this is about the time when Cheren says something cliché to let you know we're about to kick your ass, and then we do exactly that and the smirk is wiped off your face. Let's just get to that part, okay?"

Cheren stifled a laugh- the first time Delaney had seen him in any state that was not super serious. With that, Delaney grabbed Charlie's pokeball and tossed it into the grass. When the puppy pokemon materialized, he found that the grass was taller than he was, and looked up at Delaney like she was making some sort of joke. The brunette shrugged. There was nothing she could really do about it, short of cutting the grass herself.

With a smug look replacing his held in laughter, Cheren released a pokemon as well- a purrloin. The Plasma grunt let out a patrat, and right there, Delaney knew the battle was won.

After a few quick, calculated moves from the two of them, the patrat was ruthlessly dominated and tossed aside… And that smirk had been wiped off, just like Delaney said. He handed each of them a little prize money, muttered something about how _you aren't going to find my leader!_ (which was highly unlikely with Burgh around as well) as they recalled their pokemon and scuttled back towards Nacrene City. It was only when the two began to make their way further into the forest, eyes pealed for more Plasma grunts, did Delaney note that she had just battled a member of Team Plasma with relative ease. No flashbacks, no painful memories, no tears.

Delaney grinned to herself. It just got easier with time, right? Not that she was going to give herself another shot after this Pinwheel Forest deal to let it continue getting easier- this was absolutely it. Just because she didn't burst into tears at the sight of Team Plasma didn't meant she was going to put her energy into fighting them now.

Cheren was less grumpy as well- a good thing for Delaney. Maybe just knowing that he wasn't going to be left with an awkwardly sobbing girl in the middle of the forest was enough comfort for him. They continued to walk in silence through the grass, which was beginning to get a little shorter the farther into the forest they walked- a good thing, seeing as how it meant that they could walk faster than they had been.

The two reached a small log bridge and after climbing it to the other side, Delaney saw her first glimpse of the next Plasma member they needed to fight, his back facing them. It was his uniform Delaney saw first. It was her dark hair and pale skin that he saw second. She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling her throat close up. _No._

Cheren looked at her quizzically, and instantly she could feel the atmosphere between them change, the clouds rolling in before the storm. Cheren shouted out towards the grunt, who whirled around. Delaney expected to see high cheekbones, blue eyes and a mouth shaped like an O in surprise (when Delaney imagined running into Alex, she always imagined he would know it was her from the very beginning, after all).

This guy, though, didn't have any of that. His eyes were a darker brown, almost black, and light facial hair covered the bottom half of his face. He was a bit chubbier than Delaney had originally noticed and his face was much rounder than Alex's. His hair wasn't even the same color as his- Alex's having a slight blue-black sheen to it, while this grunt's was more an unwashed dark brown.

_It wasn't him._

That didn't make Delaney suddenly feel better though. Her heart still thudded dangerously in her chest, and her throat was still tight, unwilling to let any sort of words leave her. She kept her eyes on this Plasma grunt, as if he was going to change into Alex in front of her very eyes.

Was she really so far off, though? Was it impossible to believe that Alex- Galactic Commander Saturn, if you will- had come to Unova and joined Team Plasma? When she had seen that man speaking on behalf of Plasma in Accumula, the weird one in the blanket, the resemblance to Cyrus in his words and mannerisms had been uncanny. Could Alex have seen that and been tempted to go back to a life where he was tough and in charge? Would she be seeing him in that uniform at some point?

Cheren was unamused. He didn't even speak as he released his pokemon- this time the grass pokemon that she had always seen him with before, the grass pokemon that Delaney now knew was a snivy. The Plasma member released a purrloin, though one could hardly compare the yowling, ragged creature to the slick, polished feline on Cheren's team.

The black-haired boy began fighting with much aplomb, and it was obvious from the first move who was going to win the match. He had probably given up on trying to make sense of Delaney and figured she would join in when she had composed herself.

Delaney stared at the ground, trying to regain focus, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself down. She could feel her heart rate go down, though a lump remained in her throat. After a few moments, she lifted her gaze from the forest floor.

Only to stare directly ahead at Alex.

Delaney closed her eyes tightly, knowing that when she opened them, he would be gone and it would still be the grungy, chunky member of Team Plasma that had been there before. Her pulse went right back to being crazy fast and her head was starting to spin.

She opened her eyes. He was gone. _Was she going crazy?_

The Team Plasma member was somehow holding his own against Cheren- that mangy purrloin of his had a certain toughness about it. Cheren was looking increasingly frustrated, but he didn't speak other than to bark commands at Snivy.

_What was she doing here?_

This was ridiculous. She was no longer Delaney Caldwell, defeater of criminal organizations. Her father had made that clear when he had shipped her off here. She was now Christa White, ordinary trainer of Unova. Team Plasma was not her problem. Cheren and Burgh could fight them on their own. It wasn't like they weren't strong enough.

Her head was _pounding._ She needed to get the hell out of here.

Before she could try to rationalize with herself, her feet began to move more and more quickly until she was running along a well-worn path, her throat becoming tighter with each passing second. There was a burning in her chest and tears in her eyes, but she upped the pace, hoping desperately that there was an exit nearby.

She made a sharp right and ran directly into somebody. She was hoping to Arceus it wasn't another Team Plasma member, because she really couldn't handle that at the moment. The person was much taller than she was, and she could feel them staring down at here, more than likely in utter confusion. A weary Delaney lifted her head to look them in the eyes. A slender boy with chocolate brown hair and an aviator's cap stared back at her. "I'm sorry," she panted.

"You need to calm down," the boy said matter-of-factly, his indigo eyes reflecting boredom at her. "Are you being chased or something?"

Delaney was slightly offended at the way he spoke to her- almost like she was a crazy person. She shook her head. "No, I just… needed to get away, I guess," she said lamely.

"I saw Team Plasma in the forest. Is that why you're scared?" Delaney opened her mouth to argue, but the boy beat her to the punch. "No, you're definitely scared. It's written all over your face."

He was good at reading people, she'd give him that. "It's a long story," she finally said, which was possibly even lamer than her last statement. When had she become so socially awkward? No wonder she didn't have any friends but Dax. "Listen, I'm sorry," she began, before realizing she didn't know what to say beyond apologizing. The calmness of this guy unnerved her a little bit. "Um, I'm Christa." _Ugh, just stop talking. Close your mouth, and don't let any more words escape._

"You can call me Aero," he said. "Is that a friend of yours?" He pointedly looked over her shoulder. Delaney turned to where he was looking, and there, Cheren stood. There was an obvious fury in his normal calm brown eyes, but at least he didn't begin yelling right then and there (though Cheren didn't seem like the yelling type to her).

"I was hoping you were still in the forest," Cheren said curtly. "Come on, we have a few more Team Plasma members to fight, Christa."

"You're _looking_ for Team Plasma?" he asked, one of his eyebrows arching slightly.

"Yes," Cheren answered. "I can only hope by now they haven't left the forest."

"If you want, my pidove can fly up and see where they're at," Aero offered. Delaney didn't argue as he released the small gray bird, though she was certain that Pidove was going to tell them that yes, they were still in the forest. Of _course_ they were- certainly Burgh would've gone in and found them if Team Plasma had somehow slipped by him.

It was a few moments of awkward silence while waiting for Pidove- Aero was naturally quiet, Cheren was angry and Delaney was afraid to say anything, lest she receive Cheren's wrath. As the adrenaline and general panic left her system, she began to feel guilty (and stupid). Why in the world had she taken off? The grunt hadn't been Alex, that was for damn sure. She had been given the chance to say no in the very beginning, but she hadn't. There was really no excuse for what she had done, and she could honestly understand why Cheren was pissed.

After what seemed like hours, the bird returned and cooed at Aero. Numerous words (on Aero's part) and hoots (on Pidove's) were exchanged until Aero was certain he understood the message Pidove was trying to relay. Delaney had to admit, she was impressed at how in sync he was with his pokemon. "Team Plasma is up ahead," he said. "Probably about thirty yards away."

And with that, the calm, quiet boy meandered off, the pidove perched on his shoulder, without so much as a goodbye. After a few seconds, Delaney continued down the trail, certain that within five minutes, they'd be in the presence of yet another Team Plasma member, but this time, she was ready. It took her a minute to realize Cheren wasn't behind her. She stopped walking, and waited for him to catch up.

Cheren didn't move though. "Have you completely lost your mind?" he snapped, almost yelling, the first time Delaney had ever heard the typically calm boy do so. "You just left me back there!"

"I'm sorry," was all Delaney could say. She knew she had been stupid and immature, but she hadn't been thinking straight. The idea of Alex being a part of Team Plasma had consumed her. Actually, just the idea of Alex anywhere in her general vicinity had consumed her.

"I get it, Christa. You don't like us. I don't like you either, but I would never desert you in the middle of battle, especially not against these goons. We're supposed to be working together."

"I'm sorry," she repeated more loudly.

"What is it about these idiots that scare you? And don't tell me I wouldn't understand. They're a bunch of morons in costumes trying to look cool. The chances of them doing something actually bad are almost none."

"That's what you think!" Delaney snapped, momentarily forgetting where she was and who she was talking to. "One minute they're idiots in pajamas. Then they're stealing pokemon and pokedexes and then they're blowing things up and killing pokemon and then they're out of control!" By that point, Delaney was in tears. Cheren was going to think she was mentally unstable with all the crying he had seen her do…

_Cheren. He was still there._ But instead of looking weirded out like he had the time in Wellspring Cave, he looked like he was deep in thought. "Blowing things up? Like in Sinnoh?" he asked with an eyebrow raise.

"Why would you say that?" Delaney asked stiffly, pursing her lips into a thin line.

"Team Galactic blew up a lake, correct?" Cheren asked, adjusting his glasses. _No, not just Team Galactic. Alex. _"Is that where you're from? Is that what you've been talking about this whole time- Team Galactic? Because if I remember correctly, and I'm pretty sure I do, they were beaten down pretty badly by about six months ago by Delaney Caldwell." Delaney froze, willing Cheren to just shut up (_and actually, Cheren, it had been nearly nine months before_). "Have you heard of her? Well, if you're from Sinnoh, there's no way you haven't-"

"Shouldn't we be chasing Team Plasma?" Delaney interrupted. She was _not_ about to get into this discussion. "Come on, Cheren, they might be getting away!"

"Burgh would never let them," Cheren grumbled, but still, he shut up and continued to look for the _idiots in costumes_, as he so called them. Delaney had never been quite so grateful for silence.

* * *

><p>The trees were becoming less dense as they continued to walk- the path that had gone straight down the center of the forest, the path Burgh had taken to go straight to the exit to wait for Team Plasma, was right in front of them. And as they drew closer to the path, Delaney could see that they were missing all the action. They quickly approached the scene, where Burgh was standing with a smug grin on his face as his large green mantis-like pokemon delivered an intense flurry of leaves to slice at the yellow lizard-like pokemon opposing it. Burgh's opponent was yet another Plasma grunt, this one with red hair and serious blue eyes, the left one almost completely covered by bangs. He looked rather irate at the idea of losing, but Burgh was relentless. For some reason, he looked rather familiar to her, but Delaney couldn't place where she had seen him before.<p>

"Joshua!" a voice called out. The battle abruptly stopped as an older man dressed in yellow robes stopped by the Plasma grunt (who Delaney was assuming was Joshua). He gave the scene a onceover, his eyes stopping on Cheren and Delaney for a second, unnerving her a little bit. "How are you holding up, fellow subject of our king?"

Despite the earlier animosity between them, Cheren and Delaney exchanged confused looks. Delaney called thinking that Team Plasma looked like people dressed for a renaissance fair back when she first saw them in Accumula, but this wasn't a fair- it was a battle. King? What were they talking about? Was that code for something?

Joshua didn't speak. He glared at the man, as if to say _how do you think I'm holding up?_ The yellow lizard that had been fighting for him had been knocked to the ground in the midst of the razor leaf attack that had been delivered by Burgh's pokemon. "It's not important," the man said, sensing Joshua's hostility. The look on his face reminded Delaney, though, exactly where she had seen him before- he was one of the grunts in Wellspring Cave that he and Cheren had battled. "We can afford to abandon the dragon skull. According to Malcolm, this is not the legendary pokemon we are seeking." Legendary pokemon? "However," he said, casting a look first at Burgh and then at the two teenagers who stood on the sideline. "We do not allow anybody to interfere with our plans and get away with it."

"I'm sorry, but you are?" Burgh asked, raising an eyebrow. Delaney stifled a laugh. Burgh certainly got to the point, didn't he?

"I am one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma," the man said. Delaney couldn't hold it any longer- sages? Kings? These people were ridiculous. Delaney let out a loud laugh, only to receive glares from the man (sorry, the sage) and Joshua (and a smile from Burgh). "Ghetsis, another of the Seven Sages, will liberate pokemon with words alone!" Ghetsis- that was probably the man with green hair that Delaney had seen in Accumula. He was obviously the face of Team Plasma, hence why he was the one giving speeches and such. "The remainder of the Seven Sages have ordered their compatriots to take pokemon with full force!"

"You're disgusting," Cheren sneered from Delaney's side. "You talk about liberating pokemon, but by stealing them, they're still enslaved, as you would say. It's no different using pokemon that you stole versus pokemon that you caught. You're still a bunch of hypocrites."

Delaney said nothing, choosing instead of keep her eyes to the redheaded boy who was recalling his fallen pokemon. A softer look had crossed his features, though once the pokemon was safely back in his pokeball, his face had gone blank again.

"Don't speak about what you don't understand," the man said. If looks could kill, Cheren would've been long gone. He turned to Burgh then. Apparently Cheren was not worth more than a single sentence. "To you, the bug pokemon user Burgh, I say... Know your enemies, know yourself, and know you need not fear the result of a hundred battles... This time, we shall retreat quietly. But know this- even though you are gym leaders, we will not tolerate any further obstruction from you. In any case, we will settle this someday. I hope you are looking forward to that time as much as I..." And with that, he turned to Joshua. "Come. We have much to discuss." Before leaving, the redheaded boy handed off the dragon skull to Burgh wordlessly. Then they left, leaving the three trainers in their wake, puzzled beyond belief.

"Wow," was all Delaney could say. "That was certainly… different."

"I can't tell if that man was serious or not. Sages? And did he say something about a king?" Cheren asked, confusion knitting his brow.

Burgh was quiet for a moment. "This definitely isn't the last we'll see of them," he said when he finally spoke. "I suppose we should head back to Nacrene and take this back to Lenora?"

"I can take it back," Cheren said quickly. "I need to battle Lenora still, so I need to go back anyways. You two can go ahead."

"If that's okay with you," Burgh said.

"No, I insist," Cheren said. "You've done enough. Thanks for helping us."

"No, you two are the ones that helped me," Burgh said, shooting them both a smile. "You didn't have to get involved in this, but it was kind of you to help. I didn't do anything special. It's my job as a gym leader to make sure people like them don't cause trouble."

At that moment, Delaney seriously felt like giving Burgh a hug. If only the gym leaders of Sinnoh had felt the same way (about making sure people like Team Plasma didn't cause trouble, not giving Burgh a hug). Burgh handed off the dragon skull to Cheren, who put it in his trainer bag and headed off back to Nacrene. Delaney and Burgh stood there for a moment in silence, processing all that had happened that day.

"Are you off to Castelia then?" Burgh asked, a grin playing at his face.

"Is that the next city?" she asked. "I'm not familiar with Unova."

"Just over the bridge," Burgh said, gesturing behind them. "I'm excited to get a chance to battle you myself. You're something, Christa."

"What that something is, I'm not sure," Delaney said with a chuckle. "I look forward to battling you too, Burgh. If that battle back there was any indication, it's going to be quite a fight."

"I'm going to head back now," Burgh said, walking towards the exit. "Would you like to come with me?"

"I think I'm going to stay here and train a bit," Delaney answered. "You know, I have to battle this gym leader in a couple days and I need to make sure I can win."

"A couple days?" Burgh asked with an eyebrow raise. "Train hard so it can be sooner than that. I'm looking forward to it." And with that, the brown haired boy with the scarf took off, leaving Delaney alone in the forest. There was still a heavy feeling in her stomach that wasn't going away.

Delaney reached inside of her bag and grabbed her Crosstransceiver and dialed the first number that popped into her head. A woman with wide violet eyes and glossy brunette hair answered the phone. "Delaney? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Delaney said, forcing a smile. "I just wanted to see a friendly face."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (107):** _I know I said that I would be updating on Fridays... And what I meant by that was starting this next week, so sorry for being late by a day. My four months of Fridays off haven't started yet, and this week was particularly crazy.  
><em>

_This chapter featured two OC characters: Aero (submitted by **The Derpy Bulbasaur**) and Joshua (submitted by** ej92**). You'll be seeing more of each of them in upcoming chapters._

_This story is also slowly but surely being put up on The Pokemon Tower, as well as in the Serebii forums, so if any of you are on either one of those sites, check me out and say hello. (:_

_OH! Thank you to whoever put this story in the community, Pokemon's Best of the Best. I'm not sure who submitted it, but it absolutely made my day to see that somebody was so kind. A HUGE thank you to you, whoever you are.  
><em>

__Thank you all again for staying with this story, and continuously reading and reviewing._ I appreciate you SO much, and I love hearing what you think of the story and characters. See you next week, fantastic readers. (:  
><em>


	13. 13: Actions are Actions

**Chapter 13: Actions are Actions**

_Two steps forward. Wait. Wait._

_One step forward. Wait._

With an exasperated sigh, Delaney looked down at Perry, who was looking to the front of the line eagerly. "Don't you think it's a little chilly out for ice cream?" she asked him with an eyebrow raise. The otter pokemon looked at her, equally riled. They both knew this was not Perry's fault. It was _all_ Delaney's.

Whoever heard of an ice cream shop being this busy anyways?

Delaney and Perry had woken up early (if you count nine as early, anyways) to try to be one of the first in line to get a "Casteliacone". All of the locals raved about the ice cream, and they had been out of stock when Delaney had passed them the night before upon arriving in Castelia City. She hadn't expected that so many people (and most of them grown adults! Didn't they have jobs?) would be willing to wait in line for an ice cream shop that opened at eleven. The line had been insane when they had arrived two hours prior, but finally, there were only ten people ahead of them and it looked as if they would finally get their ice cream… Finally.

_One step forward. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait._

"Why is this person taking so long?" Delaney groaned to nobody in particular. She kept her eye on the woman and her four children at the front of the line, each one seemingly more desperate for ice cream than the last, whining with a tone that only certainly reminded Delaney of her dislike for children. When finally they left, each with a Casteliacone in hand, the person handing them out to eager customers put a sign on the front that said 'closed'.

_Closed?_

"Are you kidding me?" Delaney cried out to Perry, who was looking irate at the thought of not getting ice cream. "So close!"

The man in front of her in a business suit looked back at her. "Try again later, kid," was all he said as he pulled out a phone and walked off (probably back to an office that was certainly not happy that their employees were taking two hour breaks to go get ice cream).

"Well, maybe it's time to go exploring then," she said to Perry, who did not look too happy with the idea of exploring. "Maybe you should go back in your pokeball then, grumpy." The dewott looked more than satisfied with the idea and with a sigh, Delaney recalled her pokemon. She briefly thought about letting out another one of her team to spend the day exploring with her, but remembering more than one incident where Charlie had bounded out in front of her to say hello and forcing Delaney to converse with people she didn't want to converse with, she decided against it, even though as a herdier, Charlie was probably less likely to do such a thing… Well, maybe. She would probably get a better spread of the city on foot by herself anyways.

There were goosebumps crawling all over Delaney as she took a step into Castelia, the kind of goosebumps that she got only when she was in the city (well, any city really, not just Castelia). Though she and her father had lived on the outskirts of route 212, she had been raised primarily in the big cities of Sinnoh (seeing as how she had gone to school in Jubilife and spent much of her free time in Hearthrome), and she thrived on the energy of big cities.

She snapped back to reality and began to glance around the streets. She turned down the closest one to her, and was thrilled by the amount of people rushing past her. She loved to look at them all, loved to try to figure out what their lives were like every moment that she wasn't seeing them. Delaney headed back down south, where there were several piers. Delaney walked down one of them to find a large ocean liner docked called the Royal Unova. Only older men and women in expensive clothing were boarding, so she guessed it really wasn't for trainers. Maybe after she was done with traveling she would take a ride on the boat, just for the hell of it.

She wandered away from the pier and back into the city. There were a few more docks worth exploring before she went to go challenge Burgh, and it was still early in the day anyways. A glance down the next harbor showed her that there was really nothing going on there, so perhaps it would be more beneficial to head down to the final pier, the one farthest west.

It was certainly more busy than the middle pier, that was for sure (not like that was hard). Taking place on the dock was a battle. Delaney casually observed a blonde girl decked out in orange and green, a small girl with cocoa-colored skin and purple hair, a young man with wavy brown hair in green with a scarf billowing in the wind, the Team Plasma member…

_Wait._

There was certainly a Team Plasma member with a snarky grin on his face. Delaney wasn't sure who the girl with the purple hair was, but the blonde was Bianca, whose face was streaked with tears and the brown haired boy was Burgh.

Something was going on- something that definitely wasn't her problem.

She had helped Bianca before. She had also helped Burgh. She had gone toe to toe with Team Plasma twice already. For ordinary girl Christa White, that was certainly enough. She refused for this new self of hers to become a hero just like Delaney Caldwell. Delaney had never been able to say no. Maybe Christa would be able to.

Instead of waiting for one of the four to throw the attention on her, Delaney turned her back on the scene and ran. She ran all the way back to the Pokemon Center, where, huffing and puffing, she asked for a room key for the night as the nurse on duty took her pokemon. She would pick them up in an hour or so, when she went to challenge Burgh, who would hopefully be done with this Team Plasma nonsense by then.

Until then, Delaney would sit in the room by herself. Maybe she would call her father, or call Dax, or even call her mother back after the nice talk they had the night before. Whatever she was doing, it would not involve Team Plasma in any way, shape or form. That was for damn sure.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Delaney walked back out the doors of the Pokemon Center, pokemon back in her possession and ready to rock her gym battle against Burgh. Where the gym was, she wasn't totally sure (seeing as how her exploring expedition had been aborted before she could find it). She glanced around at the unfamiliar faces rushing by her, hoping one of them would stop and ask her if she was lost, but they were all too self-involved to notice how confused she was. That was the one downfall about big cities- nobody really cared too much about your problems. She meandered down the street heading west (seeing as how she had mainly explored the east side of the city the evening before), inwardly hoping that she would stumble across one of the few people she knew so that she could ask for help. Even Cheren would wonderful to bump into about now (though she would never admit that out loud).<p>

As it turned out, though, she really didn't need help. As she reached the last block heading west, she noticed a brightly colored sign that marked the street as "Gym Street". She assumed that this was where the gym was (and if it wasn't, then they really needed to consider renaming their streets). Left on Gym Street led her to the pier where she had discovered Burgh, Bianca and Team Plasma earlier. Right led her down another crowded city block.

_Right it was._

Delaney made a sharp right turn at the end of the sidewalk and made her way through the busy street. After a few minutes, she came across a sign that announced the gym and walked through the door. She expected something far more elaborate than Burgh sitting in the middle of a large room filled with elaborate paintings and bright green walls, but there he sat. He looked up at her, surprised. "Christa, how wonderful to see you," he said with a smile.

Delaney continued to glance around at the paintings. "I somehow expected something a lot… busier coming from you."

"I had an interesting little maze going on for awhile," he explained. "But too many trainers complained that the honey ruined their clothes, and it made it harder to battle, so I decided to simplify it for awhile."

"Honey?" Delaney asked, raising her eyebrows.

"In my defense, my gym had the most interesting set-up by far," he said, chuckling a bit to himself. "I'll come up with something to top it though. In the meantime, how about we battle?"

Delaney grinned. "Fantastic idea, Burgh."

"You know, I saw you back there," he stated as he threw a pokeball in the air. Released from it was a small hermit crab looking thing that Delaney's pokedex informed her was a dwebble, which was bug and rock typed. It seemed only logical to release Perry, who was more than willing to fight, finally awake and no longer grumpy.

"Saw me where?" Delaney asked casually as she pushed the button on Perry's pokeball, releasing the otter pokemon.

"At the pier. You showed up for a few seconds and then ran when you saw who was there. Why?" he asked. "Dwebble, use your sand attack so that this dewott can't see you well enough to attack!"

It took Delaney a second to focus on the battle ahead of her with Burgh's question on her mind. "Perry, dodge it!" But unfortunately, her lack of focus and Perry's puzzlement at her lack of focus resulted in a scattering of sand landing right in the otter's line of vision. "Damn."

Burgh raised his eyebrows at her. "I can't say I pegged you as a runner," he stated. "Okay, Dwebble, use your faint attack!" The small hermit crab pokemon disappeared briefly. Delaney knew that he would reappear within seconds to strike Perry, probably with a blow from behind.

"Perry, just start spraying water in the general vicinity. You're bound to get Dwebble eventually," Delaney said with a bit of a chuckle. Perry still couldn't see, but she would be damned if she let that stop them. "How'd you peg me then?"

Burgh cringed as a jet of water hit Dwebble dead on and forced the pokemon to scuttle backwards a few feet. Apparently Perry was nearly as accurate without sight as he was with perfect vision. The dwebble had still hit Perry, though not as hard as he would have without being hit himself. "As somebody who would always try to help people who needed it," he said.

"You didn't need my help on the pier," she said, clenching her jaw a bit. "I'm pretty sure you had that nasty ol' patrat taken care of without me." And as she noticed Burgh's momentary distraction, she exploited it. "Perry, spray yourself in the face with a jet of water and get the sand out of your eyes, and then go tackle that dwebble!" And as a relaxed stream of water cleared the dirt out of the dewott's eyes, Burgh stared at her with a bit of disbelief set in his eyes. "I don't deal with Team Plasma," she explained.

Perry charged forward and hit the dwebble with powerful force, though Dwebble's rocky shell scratched the otter a bit. "Dwebble, try using struggle bug!" Burgh paused as Dwebble began to lash out. "With the way you were in the forest, I never would've expected you to be afraid of Team Plasma."

"Perry, dodge the attack and spray that hermit crab… thing," Delaney called out. She gave Burgh a chilly look. "I'm not afraid of them," she stated. "I told you, you didn't need me."

"If I had needed you, would you have stayed?" Burgh challenged. "Or would you still decide that it's not your problem and take off?"

Delaney couldn't answer that.

She brought her focus back to the battle, where Dwebble was desperately trying to get close to Perry to attack without being hit by a gust of water. Perry, clearly getting bored with the back and forth movement, decided to get rid of the distance between the two and knock out Dwebble once and for all. Perry charged forward and jumped on the dwebble's shell, and then sprayed the bug directly in the face. Dwebble dropped within seconds.

Burgh raised his eyebrows. "Impressive. Your dewott is pretty crafty," he said, with a look on his face that Delaney couldn't quite place. _Disappointment? Disgust?_ He recalled Dwebble, and Perry went to stand by Delaney, awaiting Burgh's next move. "Let's see if he can handle my next pokemon!"

With that, Burgh grabbed another pokeball, and released a green insect pokemon that stood about two feet taller than Perry, it's long antennae contributing greatly to the height. It's arms were two blade-like leaves. Delaney grabbed her pokedex out from her bag and pointed it towards the pokemon. The pokedex informed her that it was a leavanny, and it was bug/grass type, meaning that unless she became even more crafty, Perry would be down soon. The grass typing meant that Dibs wouldn't be particularly helpful in this situation either… Leaving Charlie, now a herdier thanks to their training in Pinwheel Forest. This could be interesting.

Not that she and Perry were giving up, of course. Delaney turned her head to Perry. "Okay, water isn't going to work, so we're going to have to get creative," she told him with a grin. Perry smirked at her in return, knowing full well that creativity was their strong suit. They still had two more pokemon to go if they wanted to win this thing. Lucky for them, their team still had two more pokemon to go as well.

Burgh took the opportunity to start the second round. "Okay, Leavanny, start off with a string shot. That dewott is a lot faster than it looks!" The mantis-like pokemon released a stream of white, sticky gunk from his mouth, but instead of shooting it directly at Perry, it sprayed the battlefield surrounding him, where Perry would be forced to step if he wanted to attack… Which made Delaney's current strategy almost completely ineffective.

She groaned in frustration. "Oh Burgh, you kill me," she said with a bit of a sarcastic chuckle. "Perry, let's just try to charge at it and tackle it. I know it won't be easy, but you can do it!"

"Leavanny, you know what to do when it gets close!" Burgh called with a grin at Delaney. Perry tried to run as fast as he could at the leavanny, but thanks to the string shot, by the time he could actually tackle his opponent, the blow was significantly less damaging than it should have been and Leavanny pretty much just scoffed at the attack. He released a flurry of sharp leaves that pierced the skin of his opponent. Perry collapsed, severely weakened by the attack.

Delaney ran to his side, though her shoes too got stuck in the string shot mess. "You did great, Perry! You get better with each battle!" The dewott smiled up at her as she recalled him back to his pokeball. This meant it was time to change things up. She grabbed Charlie's pokeball and after pushing the middle button to release him, she chucked the pokeball as hard as she could. It landed a couple feet behind Leavanny, in a spot where he had missed dousing with his string shot. In a flash of white light, Charlie was released in one of the few areas where he could still successfully run and charge at his opponent. The herdier let out a bark of excitement. He was more than ready for battle.

"Charlie, try what we practiced out in the forest! Retaliate!" she called. As soon as the puppy pokemon had evolved and gained strength, she had taught him to move like Lenora's herdier had, with the forceful charging and hard-hitting moves. Hopefully Charlie had mastered them.

The herdier moved faster than Delaney had ever seen him move as he slammed into Leavanny, who was sent flying back a couple feet. The bipedal pokemon was knocked off of his feet and landed in a pile of his own string shot. He tried to get up, but was not having an easy time of it. Leavanny had been seriously hurt by the hard tackle, and the sticky goo was not making life easy for him. "Try using razor leaf one last time!" Burgh yelled.

"Charlie, you may get stuck trying, but go bite Leavanny!" Delaney yelled. Charlie looked at her like she was insane for suggesting she go anywhere near the string shot, but he still complied. Because Leavanny, too, was stuck, there wasn't much he could do as Charlie bounded to him (though his run was becoming more of a walk) and chomped down. The combination of attacks and being stuck was all too much for Leavanny- he hadn't fainted, hadn't collapsed out of exhaustion, but it was clear to both Burgh and Delaney that he was done fighting.

Burgh looked a bit more upset at this loss than he had the last. "Well, we still have one more pokemon!" he said, faux cheeriness tinting his voice. Delaney felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach, Burgh's words from earlier still on her mind. She was certainly making his life difficult, wasn't she?

Leavanny was recalled and replaced with a gray cocooned pokemon with one yellow eye that looked all too much like the bug that had been stalking her in her mother's house. Her pokedex, called out yet again, said it was a whirlipede. It was bug/poison and it had thorns that clearly could do some damage to her pokemon.

"Okay Charlie, we've got this!" she called out, though the herdier seemed less than cheerful at all of the gunk on his paws, courtesy of her last brilliant battle strategy (hey, it had won them the match, right?). However, it did seem like he would have a tougher time charging and tackling due to his diminished speed, so it wasn't going to be quite so easy to win this match. "Take him down, Charlie!"

A take down, though, was not so easy with all of the string shot mess around, despite being Charlie's specialty. The dog bounded forward as quickly as he could towards the whirlipede, though not quickly enough to really do much damage. He still hit the whirlipede, though not as hard as he would've liked.

It was what came after the attack that concerned Delaney though. Charlie was still standing, but he had a sick look on his face. The area around his snout and mouth turned faintly purple. Delaney recognized the symptoms immediately. "Poisoned… Shit." With that, she grabbed his pokeball and recalled him. There was no way she was going to force him to battle like that.

It was officially down to the wire now. Delaney threw out one last pokeball, and Dibs emerged, ready to rock. He looked at his trainer expectantly, waiting for the go signal. "Okay, Dibs, this battlefield is a mess. There's no sense trying to accomplish anything standing up here," she said with a knowing look. "Let's try going underground!"

"Wait, what?" Burgh was definitely surprised. "Whirlipede, poison tail!"

Dibs was too quick for the bug though. By the time Whirlipede had even moved, Dibs had dove underground, where Delaney was certain he was tunneling, blades rotating at an incredible speed. When he popped back up, he had somehow managed to choose the exact spot where Whirlipede had situated itself after the failed attack launch. As Dibs came up from under the gym, Whirlipede flew up as well. He landed a couple feet away, on the end of the battlefield closest to Burgh- the end of the battlefield that was _not_ covered in Leavanny's string shot.

"Okay, Dibs, you've got this! Fury swipes!" Delaney called.

"Whirlipede, avoid the attack and use struggle bug!" Burgh yelled desperately, but Dibs was too quick for the bug. He extended his claws and slashed into Whirlipede one… two… three… four times until the cocooned pokemon finally collapsed. Then, Dibs too collapsed, not only exhausted from tunneling under the gym, but poisoned as well. Delaney recalled him quickly, and Burgh did the same with his fallen pokemon. The two trainers looked at each other and finally, after a few moments, Burgh smiled.

"You're just as tough as Lenora said," he said, pulling out a small piece of metal. "This is the Insect Badge. You really earned it."

The pang of guilt in Delaney's abdomen hadn't gone away though, and though she hated to admit it, it was starting to cancel out her excitement over winning. "I'm sorry," she said with a grimace as she put the badge in her badge case with the others.

"For winning?" Burgh asked. "You don't need to apologize for that, Christa. You're a talented trainer."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "For back there."

Burgh, too, shook his head. "No, Christa, I'm sorry. I didn't need your help. I take pride in this city as the gym leader, so I make it my job to go after thugs like those Team Plasma punks. You're just a trainer. It's not your job to help me out."

"I always end up being _that_ trainer," she said with a bitter chuckle. He opened his mouth to question her statement, but Delaney thought it better to cut him off there. "It's a long story. I guess I've just always wanted to be well, ordinary. I'm not some sort of hero. I wish other people would stop thinking I am."

"Why anybody would settle for being ordinary is beyond me," Burgh said with a raise of his eyebrows. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and it's clear you don't want to tell me, so I'm not going to ask. But don't sell yourself short, Christa. You're better than just being ordinary."

Again, Delaney didn't know quite what to say. She turned her back to him. "I need to go heal my pokemon," she muttered. She began to walk towards the door, her footsteps become quicker as she neared an exit.

"Hey Christa?" he called. Delaney paused, though she didn't turn around. "If you find yourself stuck as _that_ trainer again… Just know we have your back. All the gym leaders, I mean. Whether you fight them or not, this isn't just your problem. You don't have to do anything alone."

And with that, for the second time that day, Delaney ran all the way back to the Pokemon Center, and she didn't stop running until she reached the front counter. She refused to be _that_ trainer. She was _not_ getting involved with Team Galactic, not again.

_No, ugh, not Galactic. Plasma._

She waited in the front lobby for her pokemon this time- she didn't want leave her pokemon with the nurses for an extended rest, even though they definitely deserved it.

Burgh's words still floated around inside of her head. Delaney knew she had disappointed, and that made her feel bad, yes, but she couldn't just become _that_ trainer again because she was expected to, could she? She had promised herself that as Christa, she wouldn't let herself become the same kind of trainer that Delaney had let herself become in Sinnoh. Wasn't that how she had come to be so burned out on the very idea of battling to begin with? The expectations, the insane pressure- they had all led to her cracking in the end. Was it worth her sanity? Her happiness? Part of her (likely the Delaney talking) said that it wasn't worth it, that here, there were gym leaders who could take care of the problem without ever involving her. Another part of her said that still, people depended on her, and she couldn't let them down. What if they needed her?

She was beginning to think Delaney and Christa really were different people, despite her father's claim that she was just Delaney Caldwell, and always would be.

"Christa?" The nurse's pleasant voice rang through the lobby. Delaney didn't even think twice before getting up and going to the counter to claim her three pokemon. Call her selfish, but there was nobody she wanted to spend the evening with more than Perry, Charlie and Dibs.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note (114/11)**_**:** _I am a day late and a dollar short- my sincerest apologies. I did plan on having the chapter up by last night, but then unfortunately, life happened. It's been a crazy week and I've been distracted and not only did I not have time to post last night, but I ended up not liking what I had written over the course of the week and scrapping it, and then starting over. _

_As always, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my story, and thanks even more for the reviews- I love hearing any sort of response, whether it is good, bad or just indifferent._

_See you next week! (:_


	14. 14: In Shallow Seas We Sail

**Chapter 14: In Shallow Seas We Sail**

If the lights and general city atmosphere of Castelia City had dazzled Delaney, Nimbasa was absolutely charming her. Towards the east side of the city, a giant Ferris Wheel reached for the sky, not lit up in the daytime, but not less magnificent. Two giant stadiums, as well as what looked like a performing arts venue of some sort (it almost looked like the contest hour of Hearthrome, but Delaney knew they didn't have those here) towered over the tops of other buildings directly to the north. Delaney's eyes were wide as she took in the sights, eager to visit everywhere. She decided to stop by the Pokemon Center first and heal her pokemon.

The desert had really taken it out of them, but they had trained well, even in the sandstorm, as well as added a new friend to their team- a rather dwarfish (well, from what Delaney could tell) scraggy, who liked to bug Perry, almost like an annoying younger brother. When her pokedex informed her that scraggy (what a ridiculous name for a pokemon species) was both dark and fighting, her interest had piqued- this was the first pokemon she had ever heard of with that particular typing, and it interested her. This particular scraggy, though smaller than average, was rather mischievous and had won her over in seconds. She named him Alec, as in smart aleck, because she knew that if he was a person, he'd be a total smartass, just like she was. Delaney had laughed as she had watched the two scurrying through the sand, Perry just trying to walk and get through the desert while Alec tried to climb all over him. She chuckled to herself again thinking about it as she handed the nurse her pokemon and asked for a room key with a smile.

"_Some people are just meant to be ordinary, sweetheart."_

Delaney turned her head quickly at the words spoken by an unfamiliar voice to the tune of _very_ familiar crying. A few feet away was a man with broad shoulders, a square-shaped head and light brown hair who was looking very impatiently at a sobbing Bianca. Delaney's eyes widened. _What kind of person would tell their child that?_ As Bianca's tears grew louder, more and more people began to stare, and her father was growing nervous by all the eyes on them during what was a family matter.

Why didn't anybody say anything?

And finally, somebody did. "I'm not going home!" she said, gasping for air between anguished sobs. "I'm going to stick this out, Dad! Why don't you understand this? I'm almost an adult! Why don't you just let me do my own thing?" And then again, the tears began to come in rapidfire.

"You're certainly not acting like an adult right now, Bianca Rose," he said primly. "You still have a lot to learn before you go out into the world."

"But that's the thing, Dad! I'm learning!" she protested. "My pokemon are teaching me so much!"

"You'd still be allowed to keep your pokemon," he said, trying to calm her down.

"You _know_ it wouldn't be the same," she said, sticking her bottom lip out. "You can't make me go!"

By that point, most onlookers had turned away from the scene, but Delaney's eyes were riveted. Bianca's father simply blew her mind. What would _she_ have done if Blake hadn't supported her?

Well, she wouldn't have had to deal with Galactic if he hadn't let her leave, that was for sure.

But as much of a blessing as that would've been, to avoid Team Galactic all together, she also wouldn't have found comrades in Blitzkrieg, and Samuel, and Marvel, and the rest of her Sinnoh crew, nor in her Unova companions. She certainly wouldn't have met Dax. She would still be a prim little girl in an ivory tower, with no friends and no source of amusement besides bugging the maids. Her life would've been completely different… And Bianca's would be too, if she was forced to go home now.

"Bianca, if you don't stop acting like a child, I'm just going to have to take you by the hand and drag you outside so we can fly home. Is that what you want?" he snapped.

'You're acting just as childish, Daddy!" she said, her wide green eyes narrowing. "You won't even try to see things from my point of view!"

"Bee, honey," he began, his voice softening. "Some people do things their own way. They're independent and that's good and fine, but to get to that point, they have to suffer. They have to be lonely and learn that they are the only ones they can really depend on. I don't want you going through that. You gave it a good run and I'm proud of you for getting as far as you got, but enough is enough. Let's go home and maybe you can try a journey again in a couple years." And with that, he extended his hand. Bianca glanced at it, uncertain but Delaney could sense she was tempted to take it.

"But isn't suffering what makes you strong?" Delaney piped up, swallowing hard (and she was pretty sure it was her pride going down, not saliva). Bianca whirled around, her eyes widening upon seeing who the speaker was. Her father was not nearly as pleased.

"And just who are you?" he asked gruffly.

"This is Christa," Bianca said brightly. "Our new neighbor."

"Oh, Lydia's daughter," he said, scoffing (_how dare he scoff at her?). _"Tell me, Christa, what do you know about suffering? You're what, fifteen? Sixteen? What do you know about anything?"

This was what she hated most- when people doubted trainers (and other younger people) because of their age. Delaney had gone through already more than most did in their lifetime. It was tempting to snap at him that the weight of the world had never been placed on _his_ shoulders. He had never been forced into the role of the hero, the role of the savior, when he had never wanted to be there. He had never felt the enormous pressure that had rested on Delaney. Mr. Suburban Whitebread would hardly know suffering, or pressure, or hardship if it hit him in the head.

_No. That wasn't true._ As much as it appeared that way, Delaney didn't know his story, didn't know what pressures had rested on him (though the fate of the world probably hadn't been among them, that was for sure).

She turned slightly red upon realizing that Bianca's father was still waiting for an answer. She hoped that as she zoned out, thoughts blocked by her anger, she had at least looked contemplative, not murderous. "Suffering and pain take on all different forms, sir," she said finally. "I know you about as well as a stranger walking down the street- not at all. And that's as well as you know me." She paused, thinking. "My story is my own. I don't have to tell it to you, and I'm not going to. But tell me this- what if you take Bianca home today and she never leaves Nuvema again? What if she loses the confidence to ever give a journey a second try, because she knows you have no confidence in her?"

"That- that's not the case!" he sputtered.

"I don't intend any disrespect," she began, trying to speak to him like she would her own father. "But I don't think that's up to you. If Bianca's ready now, she's ready now. If you stop her, she may become too afraid to risk failure a second time."

"This isn't a failure!" he roared, now becoming angry. "This is just calling it a rest for now."

"She won't look at it that way," Delaney said, lightly shaking her head. She turned to Bianca. "Would you?"

The blonde's eyes darted back and forth between her father and Delaney, unsure of who she wanted to upset the least. She finally decided on honesty and shook her head slowly. "I know I'm not as strong as Cheren, or Christa," she said finally (despite the fact that there was really no way for her father to know how strong Cheren or Christa were, so it was kind of a useless comparison… But it wouldn't help Bianca's case by pointing that out). "But I love battling, and I love my pokemon. I'd be letting them down if I didn't let them become as strong as they could possibly be."

Her father's eyes became icy, and the man had nothing to say for a few moments. Delaney took this as an opportunity to gracefully bow out. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your conversation," she said. "I'll let you get back to talking." And with that, she headed back to the counter, where a speechless nurse handed her back her pokemon, as well as the room key that Delaney had requested, and with those things in hand, Delaney marched upstairs to her room.

It took her but a few moments to settle in and release her pokemon, and as she took a seat on the bed (this one felt more like a cot though- apparently Delaney hadn't scored herself a nice room with her goodwill), she wondered why she had said anything at all. It mattered to her not at all whether Bianca was training or at home with her family in Nuvema. They weren't even remotely friends- Bianca cried way too much for Delaney's liking (and talked too much, but that was a whole separate issue). She had just butted into an emotional family discussion- for what? She had no emotional investment in anything in Bianca's life.

_If I had needed you, would you have stayed? Or would you still decide that it's not your problem and take off?_

With a frustrated moan, Delaney flopped down and laid her head down on the pillow (also not too comfortable- that nurse must've really hated her). Why was Burgh sticking in her head? What was he, some sort of Jiminy Kricketot? _Let your conscience be your guide?_ After all that she had gone through, wouldn't her conscience be more focused on the various other things she had done wrong in her life? Wouldn't some gym leader's misguided views about her sit firmly at the bottom of the list?

Apparently not, because Delaney felt like shit.

"Okay, Burgh, doesn't this rectify things now?" she said out loud. "Bianca needed me, and I stepped in. There you go!" She placed the pillow (more like a brick wrapped in cheap jersey fabric) over her head. This was really all too much.

A knock sounded at the door. Charlie barked and headed to wait right there until Delaney opened it, against whoever was there tried to hurt his trainer. Delaney sighed and sat up, placing the pillow right back down. She chuckled a bit at the sight of Charlie. It warmed her heart to think of how far they had come since their first meeting.

Delaney opened the door without even looking through the peephole. The redrimmed eyes of Bianca stared back at her. "Can I come in for a moment?" the blonde asked timidly.

"Of course," Delaney said softly.

She backed up to let the girl in the small room, and she was almost instantly jumped on by Charlie. Bianca looked down and giggled at the herdier. Perry scurried off the small green chair he had been sitting on to let Bianca sit down and decided to curl up on the pillow instead. He scowled as he realized it wasn't even remotely comfortable, and settled for getting under the covers and cocooning himself in blankets instead. Delaney snickered to herself as she took a seat at the foot of her bed. Now that her pokemon were getting used to her, they were really getting quite entertaining.

"I just wanted to say thank you," Bianca said, offering the brunette trainer a small smile. "My dad felt bad at the thought of me giving up because he doesn't have confidence in me, so he let me stay." She paused, sniffling a bit. "I mean, I know he doesn't anyways, but if he takes me home now, he has to admit that and he's not ready for that, I guess."

Delaney felt a pang of sadness in the pit of her stomach for the girl sitting across from her, even though they weren't friends. "You're welcome," she said with a shrug. "I can't help but wonder if maybe I should've just minded my own business and let you fight this battle yourself, though."

Bianca turned a shade of pink. "I don't think I could've convinced him by myself," she admitted. "I really lost control back there. I was just so afraid he'd really make me go."

Delaney sighed. "I wish you'd stop saying things like that, Bianca."

"Like what?" the blonde girl asked, confused, as well as a bit hurt. Bianca was so easy to read. Every emotion was written on her face like print.

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard you say that you're not strong, or you're not capable of something, and I barely know you," Delaney responded. "Do you even believe in yourself?"

"Of course I do!" she protested, reddening further.

"Well, Bianca, if your pokemon believe in you, and you believe in yourself, what else do you need?" The blonde girl stuttered over meaningless vowels and consanents for a moment, but in the end, she had nothing to say.

Delaney let out another large sign and turned to her pokemon. "You all don't mind too much if I go out and leave you here, do you?" With Perry wrapped in blankets, Charlie stretched out on the floor snoring lightly, Dibs burrowed in Delaney's trainer bag in her clothes and Alec under the bed, one foot sticking out, she couldn't believe any of them would protest much- and none of them did. None of them even moved a muscle.

"Where are you going?" Bianca asked, uncertain.

"_We_," Delaney began, resisting the urge to sigh yet again. "We are going to get ice cream, Bianca. I'm going to assume the people of Nimbasa aren't batshit crazy over it like they are in Castelia, but I'm sure there has to be a place with decent ice cream close to here." She grabbed her room key and her bag of money out of her bag, trying hard not to disturb the drilbur nesting in her pajamas, and then began walking towards the door. She turned back to face the stunned girl in the small green chair. "Are you in?"

All Bianca could do was nod and she too got up and headed for the door. "Good, because I don't think I could associate with people who don't like ice cream," Delaney said with a sarcastic smile. She waited for Bianca to ask _why she was doing this_ or _why was she being so nice_, but to the blonde's credit, she just smiled nervously and giggled after a couple of awkward seconds went by.

Good thing, too, because Delaney wouldn't have known the answer.

* * *

><p>The streets of Nimbasa were crowded for a Tuesday afternoon as Delaney headed to the gym. She stifled a yawn- she had stayed up far later than she had in a long time, and all thanks to Bianca. Delaney was pretty sure she could now write a book on all of the most minute details of the blonde girl's life. She had been quite up until they reached the ice cream parlor and Delaney asked her what her favorite flavor was. Not only did Delaney learn that it was chocolate chip, she also learned that Bianca's last name was Chalmers, that she had been attacked by a patrat on route 1 when she was a child and Cheren had saved her, and then called her an idiot for going out alone and that was how they had become friends, that Bianca's favorite color was green and she maybe wanted to be a fashion designer, or a model, or a researcher… Well, Bianca didn't know, but she was determined to find out. Her feet were a size 7.5 (and she insisted that one day she and Delaney had to go shoe shopping). Her mother had been worked on the S.S. Anne in Kanto… And that was only the tip of the iceberg.<p>

As strange as it was, the more Bianca chattered, the less Delaney minded it. It was nice not to be asked questions, or lectured for not being as good as people expected her to be, or guilted into things. Bianca expected nothing of her but to listen… Or at least sit there while she talked. She reminded Delaney all too much of Dax (and maybe not only the bad parts).

To say Delaney was spacing out as she walked to the Nimbasa gym was an understatement, but it did _not_ excuse rudeness on the part of the people sharing the sidewalk with her. She felt a sharp bump on her right side as somebody hurried past. "Rude much?" she scowled at nobody in particular. And then somebody else ran past her, somebody much smaller than her.

She approached the arch that led to the east side of Nimbasa, where the gym was located, to find a small redheaded boy on his tiptoes, obviously looking for something. His facial expression signaled distress. She was _so_ tempted to just walk by him without a word. His problems did not have to be her problems. Everybody's problems did not have to be her problems. **This was not her problem.**

_How'd you peg me then?_

Oh Jiminy freaking Kricketot… Delaney sighed and began to walk faster, passing the redheaded boy and approaching the entrance to the gym. She could see inside, see the bright lights and the rollercoaster tracks and the trainers, all beckoning her inside.

_As somebody who would always try to help somebody who needed it._

The brunette trainer was cursing under her breath as she stepped out of the gym's doorways and backtracked to where the redheaded boy was standing, distress replaced by absolute anguish. "Is something wrong, kid?" Delaney asked, hoping he would tell her to leave him the hell alone.

"It's Team Plasma," he said worriedly. "They took Reno."

"Reno is your pokemon?" Delaney guessed. That _was_ what Team Plasma took after all.

"My litwick," he said sadly. "I hatched him from an egg my brother gave me before he left on _his_ pokemon journey. I just have to get him back! I just don't know where they went and I'm kind of lost."

Delaney sighed. "What's your name?"

"Nicolai," he answered.

And though her brain was telling her to stop, Delaney replied, "Just stay right here, Nicolai. I'm going to try to find them and get Reno back for you, okay?" And before he could even reply, Delaney took off running, heading east once again.

As it turned out, Delaney hadn't really thought anything through before she acted. She probably knew Nimbasa as well as Nicolai did, which was not at all, and she found herself lost. She turned to head south (why, she didn't know) and found herself face to face with a Ferris Wheel… And a headful of mint green hair.

"N!" Delaney said a bit nervously. She hadn't seen him since he had walked off in the middle of the battle in Nacrene. Truth be told, none of that mattered and she was just hoping he could perhaps help her find Team Plasma (or at the very least, find her way back to where she had been). "Have you seen Team Plasma?"

The greenhaired trainer was silent for a moment. "I haven't seen them," he said finally. "But I have an idea. We can get on the Ferris Wheel and try to spot them from up there."

Well, Delaney didn't have any better ideas. With how oddly crowded the streets of Nimbasa were for a Tuesday afternoon, it was unlikely, but worth a shot. Delaney nodded at him and he waved down the operator, letting him know they wanted to board. By the time Delaney had located the proper fare (constructed entirely of pocket change), N had paid for them both and was waiting patiently with the door open for her to get in.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly. She hadn't realized until then how extremely little she knew about N... She also hadn't realized how terrified of heights she was until she was peering over the side, trying to locate the two members of Team Plasma. The higher they got, the more nervous she got. She decided to wait for a few moments until they were settled at the top. Otherwise, she would've been a quivering mess by the time they got there. _This thing isn't going to fall, is it?_

It was quiet for a few minutes as the two rose in the sky- it would be an understatement to say they were the most awkward few minutes of her life. Delaney tried to read N's facial expressions, tried to figure out why he had brought her up here. He said it was to try and see the two grunts that had made off with the litwick, but he wasn't trying to look out and see anybody at all. He seemed caught up in his own sadness.

Delaney was about to suck it up and ask him what was wrong when finally, he spoke. "Sometimes it's hard to do the right thing," he said quietly.

Oh, did Delaney ever know that. _Story of my life._ She nodded briefly. "Why do you say that, N?"

"I know how I feel is right," he began. "But it's hard to try to set an example all the time. I try to be good, but sometimes…" His voice carried off. "Sometimes I just don't know. Not everybody is good or bad. Sometimes they're both. Lots of times they're both." His brief statements made very little sense to Delaney, but she wasn't sure if she should ask him for clarification. Was she qualified to do that? Did that make them friends? "Have you ever felt like sometimes there's just so much pressure on you that it's kind of hard to breathe?"

"Yes," Delaney said without even thinking. "I can't count the number of times I've felt that way." Immediately after making the statement, she turned red. She had said too much. Apparently speaking without thinking was becoming her new way of life.

The cart stopped, finally at the top. Delaney still couldn't bring herself to look down. "That's sad," N remarked. She had to admit, she was quite grateful that he didn't ask questions. All was quiet again for a few minutes as the cart began to once again lurch downwards. This time the silence wasn't awkward, though- it was more like a quiet understanding.

"Can I tell you something, Christa?" N asked, breaking the silence again. "I feel like I can talk to you, because you're nice… Well, you're nice most of the time, even though you're a trainer and trainers are kind of bad."

"Sure, N," she said with a small smile to encourage him to keep talking, though she was slightly offended at the _trainers are bad_ spiel. She wondered what this pressure on him was that was so suffocating… His journey? Parents, perhaps?

"Well," he began, clearly uncomfortable. He began playing with the ornamental necklace that hung around his neck. "You know who Team Plasma is, right?"

"Obviously… We're up here looking for them," Delaney said uncertainly. She did _not_ like where this was going.

"I'm their king," he said, going back to his typical quick manner of speaking.

At first, Delaney wasn't quite sure if she was hearing him correctly. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"I'm the king of Team Plasma," he stated. "Ghetsis and I are working together to save the pokemon." He said the words as if he was explaining something incredibly simple to somebody much smaller.

Delaney was so shocked that at first, she could not speak. All she could do was stare at the green-haired boy in front of her with disbelief written all over her face. A _king?_ He thought he was some sort of _royalty?_

But of course, that wasn't the important thing- N was a part of _Team Plasma._

_ "Take care of her, Commander Saturn!" somebody yelled in the background. Delaney grabbed Blitzkrieg's pokeball, ready to tear down this 'Commander Saturn' just like she tore down every Galactic member before him._

_ She glanced up at him, and her grip on the ball loosened. Staring back at her were those eyes from the night before. And it was just the eyes… It was those cheekbones, and that mouth and even though there was some sort of horrible blue wig resting on his head, she was willing to bet the hair underneath was so deep of a black it was almost blue. _

"Oh, Christa, please say something," N said, worry beginning to spread across his features. "Do you understand my logic?" But still, Delaney did not speak, as she began to grow more and more furious. Why did he have to tell her that? Why did he have to make her feel like they were becoming friends before dropping a bomb on her? What kind of person was he that he would join up with Team Plasma? What in the hell was going on?

"No, I don't," she said, her voice becoming cold. "Are you absolutely fucking insane, N?" The boy looked at her like she had struck out at him, worry turning into panic and fear. "Team Plasma…" She took a deep breath, hardly able to keep track to all of the thoughts bouncing around in her head. "I can't believe this…" she muttered to herself. "I am _not doing this again!"_

She had clearly frightened the trainer sitting next to her, as N's green eyes flashed with great emotion. As soon as their cart reached the bottom, Delaney opened the door with frightening speed and slammed the door behind her. _Not again. Not doing this again._

_ It had been peaceful until the grass had rustled, and chingalings rang as they scurried to get out of the way of the young man running through the grass, panting. "I'm Alex."_

_ "Pardon?" Delaney asked, raising an eyebrow, even though she had heard him perfectly fine the first time._

_ "My name. It's Alex," he said, still trying to catch his breath._

_ "Funny, I was under the impression it was Commander Saturn," the blonde girl stated coldly._

She didn't have to worry about hunting Team Plasma anymore, apparently- they were coming straight to her. Two grunts ran to where N now stood in front of the Ferris Wheel. Delaney spun back to look at the group in disgust. "Lord N, we got a pokemon! Some little ginger kid's litwick!"

Delaney could feel her stomach churn (and whatever came up would _not_ be the pride she swallowed earlier) hearing them. N was hardly focusing on the two grunts, his eyes on Delaney in the background. "All bad trainers should get their pokemon taken away," he finally said, more to himself than his two "servants".

"He could hardly believe it!" the brutish blonde on the left whooped. "What a wimp!"

How could he _dare_ say that? It hadn't been some frail teenage boy that they had stolen the pokemon from (not that it would've justified them any if it had). They had stolen from a boy. A _child_.

"Aren't you so tough?" Delaney asked sarcastically behind them. The blockheaded blonde and his partner, the chunky darkhaired boy from the forest (she hadn't noticed him when his back was to her this time) turned around and glared at her.

"Looks like you're looking for a fight," the blonde said with a smirk and grabbed a pokeball. Delaney was more than prepared to fight back if she needed to. These idiots didn't scare her.

"I really don't think you want to push your luck right now," Delaney stated icily. "I'm going to give you two choices, pumpkin." Oh, how she liked to push buttons. "One, you can hand me that litwick and we'll pretend this never happened and you can keep what little dignity you have. Or you can battle me here in front of all these people." She gestured to the swamped sidewalk, where several pedestrians had turned to look at the scene that was brewing. "I was on my way to the gym when I noticed the _child_ you stole that pokemon from. I promise you that I will beat the shit out of you, and everybody will know what losers you really are, and you'll walk away from this place as a joke. What do you say?" She glanced from the two grunts, to N, to the people on the sidewalk. She couldn't help but notice that Nicolai had found her… And so had Bianca, actually, and the blonde girl was staring in shock.

"Delaney, would you really beat them that badly in a battle?" N asked feebly.

She didn't think twice before she answered. "I would wipe the floor with them," she stated, staring coldly at the two grunts as she answered. She couldn't even _look_ at N when she talked to her, she was still so angry. She gestured to the one on the left, the blonde. "What do you have, a sandile?"

His eyes grew wide. "How did you know that?"

Delaney chuckled. "Because you're all the same." _In so many ways. _"For the record? There are more pokemon out there than patrat, sandile and purrloin. You seem like you think you're too cool for patrat, and too manly for purrloin, so sandile is an easy pick for you."

A couple onlookers chuckled. "Are you really going to let a chick talk to you like that?" one male whooped. "Show her what's up!"

The blonde grunt was scowling at her. Delaney just stood, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. Anger still coursed through her veins from her conversation with N, and her adrenaline was pumping. "You better decide what you want to do," she said with a shrug. "Either way, I'm getting that litwick back. Either you hand him over now, or I'll bring out my dewott and have him pulverize your sandile before you can even think of an attack. Your choice." For good measure, she reached into her bag and grabbed Perry's pokeball. A smattering of cheers broke out from a few onlookers.

The darkhaired grunt grabbed a pokeball from his belt. The blockheaded blonde took a cue from his partner and reached for his own. Delaney wasn't afraid to take both of them on by herself. She could probably knock them both out in fewer than five minutes and then be on her way to battle the Nimbasa City gym leader. Before she could press the button to release Perry though, N jumped in the middle (what would soon be a battleground). "Don't battle!" he yelled.

"That's what trainers do, N," Delaney said, raising an eyebrow. "You battle, even though that's quite hypocritical on your part."

N chose to ignore her comment, instead turning to the grunts. "Give her the litwick," he told them sternly. "That's a command."

"Yes, my lord," the blonde muttered. He tossed the pokeball in the air, not even bothering to throw it in her general direction, but after a bit of scrambling, Delaney caught it before it hit the ground.

"And don't mess with that kid again," she told them. With that, she marched over to where Nicolai was standing in the waning crowd (most of them disappointed because they didn't get to see a battle) and dropped the pokeball square in his hand. Before he could even say thank you, she began to walk away again.

Her adrenaline was dropping, and she was beginning to feel slightly panicky again, so instead of heading to the gym like she originally planned, she headed back towards the Pokemon Center to take a nice, long nap. Her head was racing and her heart pounded. This day was just too much for her. Way too much.

_ "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said finally. "I should've."_

_ "You didn't have to tell me anything, Commander Saturn," she spat. "I was just some girl in the rain."_

_ "Will you stop calling me that?" he said exasperatedly. "My name is Alex. I'm Alex. We met last night, remember?"_

_ "I remember," she said softly. "Though Cyrus probably told you to follow me here, didn't he?"_

_ "No!" Alex protested quickly, as if it was shocking to even think that Cyrus would order him to do such a thing. "I was walking in the rain. I saw a pretty girl who needed help. That's the end of the story, I swear. I didn't even realize that you were the girl who was giving us trouble until… You know, back there."_

The closer she got to the building, the quicker her pace became. That bed, however uncomfortable it was, was sounding mighty comfy at the moment. "Christa, wait!" she heard behind her. Delaney stopped and rolled her eyes and after a moment, turned around. Bianca was struggling to catch up with her. When finally she did, she was panting, but that didn't dull the glitter in her eyes. "That was so awesome back there!"

"It was nothing," she said with a shrug. Truth be told, she was actually rather embarrassed about it. Sure, she had achieved what she had set out to do (which was get that litwick back), but she had done it by losing her temper and making a spectacle of herself, which she _never_ did (well, besides that one time when she had decided to go on a pokemon journey on a whim to spite her mother). The worst part of it was that despite the fact that those grunts had been idiots (especially the darkhaired one, who had stared doofily into space most of the day- how she could _ever_ mistake him for Alex was beyond her), they hadn't really been the ones she had been mad at and she had taken it out on them. It had been N all along that deserved her rage- not those two poor doofs.

"No, really, Christa, you really showed them!" Bianca chattered excitedly. "Team Plasma should know better than to mess with you by now. You're like, the trainer to beat for them every time, except for the fact that they can't beat you."

_That_ struck a nerve with Delaney right there. "No, I'm not," she said, a swell of fresh anger rising in her chest. "I'm not _that_ trainer. I refuse to be."

Bianca was obviously confused. She had seen even less of Delaney's Plasma hatred than Cheren had. "Well then why do you keep battling them?"

That was a damn good question. "I…" Delaney paused, and she stumbled. "I don't have a choice," she said weakly. "Shit, do I _ever_ have a choice? Why does it always have to be me?" And as much as she hated to admit it, she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"Because you can do it?" Bianca asked. She was just as stumped as Delaney, and probably more jumbled now that the girl who had just publicly humiliated Team Plasma was in tears. "Maybe you're just a good person?"

"But I'm not," Delaney said before she could stop herself. "What kind of good person refuses to help people? What kind of good person avoids situations that involve fighting people who are clearly bad? What kind of good person sticks with somebody who's bad and watches them do bad things and then almost gives up on doing good things just for that person? Huh, Bianca? How do you define _good?"_

Delaney was shaking and the tears were falling down her face… And she was totally horrified. _What in the hell had she just said?_ Oh Arceus, she had just blown it. Blown everything. Did she have to reveal herself now? What did people _do_ in these sorts of situations? There really needed to be some sort of guidebook for what to do when you accidentally blow the cover on your secret identity to a strange girl (who talks too much) that you're not even friends with.

Bianca, though, didn't seem nearly as upset at Delaney's mental breakdown as the brunette trainer standing in front of her. "I know you don't like to help with Team Plasma stuff, Christa, but you do anyways, because it's the right thing to do. That's what makes you good."

"Well, Bianca, you're definitely a lot more forgiving than I am," she muttered, as she began to head towards the door of the Pokemon Center again, leaving Bianca behind her.

"Christa, wait!" she said again. Sighing, Delaney turned back around. "Do you want to go get ice cream?"

"What?" Delaney asked, staring blankly at the blonde.

"Well, you took me for ice cream when I was upset… So I thought I'd return the favor." Delaney was half tempted to turn around one final time and go take her nap. She had earned a nap after the day she had, right? If anybody deserved a nap today, it was Delaney. But still… She couldn't bring herself to quell the sparkle in Bianca's wide green eyes. So instead, she just nodded and the two of them began to walk towards the ice cream parlor they had visited yesterday. It was oddly quiet, just as the walk over the night before had been too.

"Christa?" Bianca finally broke the silence. "I just want you to know that I don't think you're a bad person. I actually think you're a really good person."

"Bianca, why are you being so nice to me?" Delaney asked, exasperated (actually, in truth, she just found it a bit hard to believe that anybody could think she was a good person when she certainly didn't think of herself as one). "I beat you in a battle. I made you cry. I didn't want to help you with Team Plasma. I've been pretty rotten to you."

"And you're also the reason I'm still here," Bianca said pointedly. "And even if you didn't talk to my dad for me, I could just tell you needed a friend."

Was that what they were now? Friends? Did ice cream make them that, or bonding over wounds that hadn't yet healed? Was it because Bianca liked to talk and Delaney let her? Or was it just something beyond that- something silly and girly that Delaney had never really achieved, because she had never been too fond of girls.

Whatever it was, Delaney had to admit- it was nice having a "friend" (she was still hesitant to use the phrase, but she'd humor Bianca until she decided whether their friendship was a good fit or not) to talk to, even when they didn't understand everything.

Sometimes, it was just nice to have somebody who was willing to let you cry.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note (119/12):**_ _Ahhh, __the Ferris Wheel scene. (: I was so excited to write it, I ended up getting done with the chapter early! Aren't you proud? I'm consistent now! (:_

_A special thanks to my beta, **Noteleks,**_ _as well as to **Maddiepink5** and **ej92**, for their constant support, as well as for giving me ideas and support and also awesome OC's- Nicolai, who made a brief appearance here, belongs to ej92. You'll see more on him later._

_Thank you to all of you who dedicate your time to reading this story. I appreciate it. (:_

_See you next week for chapter 15- this is where the fun begins!_


	15. 15: Don't Send the Searchlights

**Chapter 15: Don't Send the Searchlights**

_It was a picture perfect day in Nimbasa- sun shining, not a cloud in the sky and the flowers strategically placed all around the city in full bloom. Delaney was on her way to the gym when her Crosstransceiver began to ring. The brunette ignored it as she continued to walk, in a hurry to win her badge after all that had happened the last time she had tried to battle the gym leader two days before._

_After getting ice cream with Bianca, she and Delaney had stayed up late into the night talking. Delaney at that point was pretty sure she knew everything about Bianca, Cheren, Bianca's parents and anybody else Bianca had ever encountered ever. She figured their "bonding" and "friendship" time had come to an end as the two girls continued on their respective journeys. She had truly been surprised when Bianca had woken her up bright and early at seven to go get waffles, and even more shocked when after a remarkably long breakfast, Bianca had decided that Delaney needed pampering and relaxation because she was too stressed out about Team Plasma. The blonde girl had forced her brunette counterpart into pedicures, massages, more ice cream and a day playing around in Nimbasa's famous amusement park (though she hadn't said a word to Delaney's adamant protest of going on the Ferris Wheel). _

_And though it was somewhat hard to admit, Delaney thoroughly enjoyed it. She too had been giggling (giggling!) when Bianca had brought her back to the Pokemon Center. She had gone to sleep that night with glittery toenails, shoulders that held no tension and a smile on her face._

_But now, it was business time. Eventually the ringing stopped, but it began again as she reached the arch that indicted that she was entering the east side of Nimbasa. Now curious (as it was rare she even got one call a day, much less two in a row), she reached inside of her bag to get the Crosstransceiver, but by the time she found it towards the bottom of the bag, it had stopped ringing._

_It began to ring a third time._

* * *

><p>It had been an awkward journey across the bridge. Two people who didn't like each other making the same journey at the same time with the same destination in mind, but not speaking a word. Delaney was almost tempted to call her father back just to have an excuse to ignore Cheren, but she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. She would make that follow-up call in a few days, after challenging the gym, she decided. She would ask him about Charlie and Dibs then.<p>

Thinking of the call from earlier, she had hardly noticed that she and Cheren had trailed into town and that Cheren was now talking to a tall, stocky man with dark hair and a cowboy hat. As he began to talk and introduced himself as Clay, Delaney recalled that the gym leader of Driftveil was also Clay… Which meant there was a good chance that this was the infamous "Miner King", though Delaney didn't think he looked like a miner or a king. Roark had been a miner. Byron had been a miner. This guy had on chaps. He didn't look like a miner to her- he looked like the weird ranchers back in Soloceon Town.

"How is it our fault that they followed us across the bridge?" Cheren protested, his thin mouth forming a pout. Delaney almost had to laugh- pouting was just not his style. "We were just crossing over."

Delaney frowned, puzzled. Clay was not happy. Cheren was indignant. And who was the _they _Cheren had referred to (assuming that she and Cheren were the _us)? _She really needed to start listening better and stop going off into her own world and thinking about cowboys and such.

"There's a reason why that bridge is almost never down!" Clay barked gruffly. "To keep riff raff like _that_ out of Driftveil!"

"Sir, we just wanted to battle the gym," Delaney spoke up timidly.

"Well, then, I'll make you two a deal. Find where Team Plasma is hiding, and I'll let you challenge me," he said and with that, he walked away whistling, leaving Cheren and Delaney standing in awe , looking out at the vast city.

Oh. Team Plasma. That was who _they_ were.

"What?" Cheren asked disbelievingly, though the question was aimed more at himself than anybody else. He was still rightfully vexed.

"Fucking ridiculous," Delaney muttered angrily. It was _not their fault_. Why couldn't Clay just be a responsible gym leader and take care of things like he was supposed to? And how in the hell were they supposed to find Team Plasma anyways?

* * *

><p>"<em>Daddy, what's the matter?" Delaney asked. She had never seen Blake so shaken up. There was no sweater over his shoulders, his collar skewed, his hair tussled in places that it was not supposed to be tussled. "What happened?"<em>

_ "I can't…" he began, and Delaney was already opening her mouth to protest at his objection to telling her. "There's no use in keeping secrets from you," he said with a sigh. "I had some visitors today."_

_ "What kind of visitors?" Delaney asked, still confused, but then the pieces of the puzzle began to fit- his roughed up appearance, his shaky demeanor… "Daddy, surely you don't mean Team Galactic?"_

_Blake nodded. "There was so many of them… They were everywhere- I think they were even in your room, Del."_

_ "But why you? You have nothing they could possibly want, except for money. Did they want money? You gave them money, right?" She was speaking fast. She knew what he was going to say, and she didn't want to hear it._

_ "Delly, they didn't want money," he said with a deep frown. "They wanted you."_

_ It was a good thing Delaney had found a bench to sit on, because her knees would have given out on her about then if she had still been standing. "You're not hurt, are you?" she asked, tears of worry beginning to fill her eyes. _

_ "No, sweetheart," he answered, but Delaney wasn't convinced. "They didn't hurt me at all, they just tried to scare me."_

_ Delaney swallowed hard. "Where did you tell them I was?"_

_ "I told them I didn't know where you were training," he said calmly. "I'm just lucky that Annette thought to hide your pokemon. They're usually out in the garden, where she takes them for a bit of exercise, but she thought to put them away and out of sight." He paused. Delaney knew there was more coming. "They went out to my garden and took about fifteen of the pokemon out there."_

_ Anybody else wouldn't have thought this to be such a big deal- it wasn't like Blake couldn't order more pokemon to fill his garden. Delaney knew, though, that it had to have broken her father's heart. The baby pokemon that usually stayed back there were like surrogate children to him, probably even moreso now with Delaney gone. Anger coursed through the brunette's veins. It had been eight months, one week and two days since the incident on the Spear Pillar. Just when was Team Galactic going to leave her alone?_

* * *

><p>"With as small of a city as Driftveil is, you'd think we might have run across one Team Plasma member," Delaney muttered, irate.<p>

"There's only one more place they could be," Cheren said, looking at a map of Driftveil on a guideboard. "There's a storage area to the south that we haven't checked yet."

"They're hiding out in storage bins?" Delaney asked, wrinkling her brow. "That seems a bit… odd. But I guess there'd be nowhere else for them to hide." She peered over Cheren's shoulder, studying the map for any other possible hiding places. She thought for a moment. "Cheren, what if they left town already and because we didn't catch them, this Clay guy won't let us challenge the gym at all?"

"No way," Cheren said. "All he cares about is that they're not running wild in Driftveil. He wouldn't punish us like that… Right?"

"I hope you're right, Cheren," Delaney said with a shrug of her shoulders. "So I guess we're heading south then." The brunette turned her back on Cheren and began to walk. "This is such bullshit…" she muttered to herself.

"You know, you use quite colorful language for being a girl," Cheren said as he followed Delaney in the direction of the storage (she hoped).

In all honesty, she had picked quite a bit of it up from Alex, as well as some of it rising up from her inherent anger issues of the last six months, but Delaney couldn't tell him that. "Live a little, Cheren," she said with a chuckle and she began to pick up speed. "Race you!" she called back to him. With as awkward as their usual traveling was, she really didn't want to get into any conversations with him that could lead her into revealing more than she should.

* * *

><p><em>"You look a little green!" said the blonde girl in front of Delaney with a bright grin. "The roller coaster sometimes does that to people. Sorry."<em>

_ Delaney managed a weak chuckle. There was no way for her to know that the roller coaster hadn't been the only thing to make Delaney feel quite nauseous that day. "No problem," she said. She took a closer look at her, and realized that the blonde was actually older than Delaney had once thought. Her cropped blonde hair made her blue eyes seem even wider, and the look of excitement on her face made her look about Delaney's age, maybe even younger, but as she looked away, distracted by another trainer in her gym playing with the roller coaster, Delaney noticed that she appeared closer to her early twenties than Delaney's age. A wild headband adorned her pixie cut, and she wore a yellow tunic with matching canary yellow heels. "I'm guessing you're the gym leader?"_

_ It came out a bit more snippy than Delaney intended it to be. Before Delaney could apologize though, the blonde gave her a gracious smile and began to speak herself. "Sorry, I should've introduced myself before anything! I'm Elesa, the gym leader of Nimbasa, as well as a model. I've combined my love of pokemon, fashion and the city of Nimbasa itself in this gym." She had a smile on her face that could rival a gengar's. Anyone with eyes could tell how insanely proud Elesa was to be a gym leader. "And you are, my dear?"_

_ "I'm Christa," the brunette said simply. She never said more than that when introducing herself. It was simpler not to._

_ "Oh, you're Christa!" Elesa said, obviously surprised, like she had been expecting Delaney. "My dear friend Burgh and I had a lovely chat about you earlier. He said you're most impressive."_

_ Delaney was mildly surprised. "Oh… Thanks," she said, reddening a bit. She didn't know what else to say._

_ "Well, you better brace yourself, Christa," the blonde said with a wide smile. "If the fantastic speed of my roller coaster had your head spinning, just wait until you see my pokemon! They'll flip you upside down!" She grabbed a pokeball from her wide black belt. "Let's go!"_

* * *

><p>"I really wish you would've ended the race when you realized you were lost," Cheren said, sweat dripping from his pores. The black-haired teen had caught up to her rather quickly – Delaney may have been a more experienced runner, but Cheren had those long freaking legs. Delaney had refused to let the race die until they wound up by the drawbridge again and Delaney was forced to acknowledge that she had no idea where she was going (plus there was the small matter of a far less athletic Cheren gasping for breath). Luckily, a man on a bike had noticed the two obviously confused trainers and made the journey south with them.<p>

Delaney ignored Cheren's comment as she took in her surroundings. She was acutely aware of a drop in temperature around a giant warehouse (Delaney wasn't really sure anymore how they missed it, as it was clearly one of the larger buildings in Driftveil). "I thought south meant warmth," Delaney commented as goosebumps appeared on her arms.

"It is, in the context of a region being farther south and closer to the equator," Cheren said, raising his eyebrows. "Not in terms of an area of a city being farther south than another area. Unova isn't quite as far north as Sinnoh, but we still get our cold fronts." Delaney nearly facepalmed herself for even making such a comment. Back in the day, she could blame her hair color. Nobody raised their eyebrows at her like that when she was blonde. Now that Delaney was a brunette, she was simply dumb when she said things like that.

Cheren wasn't done, though. As they entered the giant icebox, Cheren was still rambling. "The most tropical region is probably Hoenn. A lot of their pokemon species probably couldn't survive here or Sinnoh," he informed her.

"Oh Cheren, how are you still single?" she asked sarcastically as she took a good look around. It literally was a giant icebox, as there were noticeably slick patches around the floor. A few trainers hung around, but they were clearly more prepared than Delaney and Cheren, though even Cheren at least had a scarf and jacket (and pants). She didn't even have anything she could hide behind a box and change into (though she would've been crazy to take off her clothes in this place anyways). The white tank top and jean shorts that she always wore were ill-suited for the task at hand.

And as it turned out, her shoes were even less suited to the current situation. Delaney stepped forward and slid forwards. The tennis shoes she always wore were so old that any traction they might've had once in dealing with ice patches was long gone. The brunette went flailing to the right and immediately fell upon reaching the other side of the ice patch. Her bare leg burned where the ice touched.

Cheren gracefully slid towards her and when he too reached the end of the ice, he was still standing. "Are you okay, Christa?"

"A-as g-g-good as I'm g-g-gonna g-g-g-get," the brunette answered, teeth chattering like crazy.

"Yeah, I'm thinking we should hurry," Cheren said. "Before you get hypothermia." He offered his hand to Delaney, and she took it as she tried to get up. He grabbed her wrist. "You hold on to me, okay? We're going to have to do some more sliding around to get through this place." And with that, Cheren began sliding again, this time taking Delaney with him.

The brunette didn't even make it all the way to the end of the ice before falling this time, but now, she brought Cheren down with her. She had to admit, seeing Cheren take a spill on the ice _did_ make her feel better. After all, there was really no dignified way to fall on ice.

* * *

><p><em>Elesa stood watching Delaney as she recalled Charlie, an odd expression on her face. "I must admit, I'm a bit surprised," she said finally.<em>

_ Delaney threw out another pokeball and within a few seconds, Dibs had materialized on the battle field. Elesa's zebstrika whinnied in response. He was ready to do battle. "Why are you surprised?" Delaney asked._

_ "Don't take this the wrong way, but Burgh led me to believe you'd be a far bigger challenge," Elesa said. Delaney flinched a bit. Ouch. "Not that you're not a very obviously strong trainer, Christa," she added quickly. "But Burgh was telling me all about your battle and how creative you were and how full of life you are in battle. You just seem really… distracted."_

_ Delaney flushed. "I'm sorry, I am distracted," she admitted. "I got a call about a family issue right before I got here."_

_ "Oh!" Elesa said, her eyes widening. "Why are you here then? You should be there, with your family!"_

_ Oh, how Delaney wished she could be. "I can't really do anything," she said quietly. "I can't go there right now."_

_ "I'm sorry, I said something wrong," Elesa said, biting her lip._

_ "No, no, you're fine," Delaney reassured her. It wasn't Elesa's fault that Delaney caused such problems. "I'll pay better attention, I swear. I'll make up for the beginning being so… blah. Let's battle!"_

* * *

><p>By the time the duo reached a large open container, Delaney had accrued several bruises and her skin was red and blotchy from where the ice had touched it. She had torn the bottom of her shirt and cut open her right thigh on one of the edges of a metal container. Her hair was wavy and wild. She looked like she had been in a fight. Cheren looked like he had been on the other end of that fight, his jacket crazy and haphazard, his glasses skewed and his hair sticking up all over the place.<p>

Delaney wasn't taking the blame on that though. _He_ had been the one dragging her. He should've known that if she went down, he was going down too.

"D-do you th-think they're in th-there?" Cheren stuttered, succumbing to the cold.

"Where else w-w-would they b-be?" Delaney asked pointedly, gesturing around her. "Up th-this ladd-der ta-takes us back t-t-to the entrance."

Cheren shrugged and carefully stepped towards the mouth of the open container, still grasping Delaney's wrist in case the brunette lost her balance. There, as Delaney predicted, was Team Plasma. About ten grunts huddled around another one of the sages in those blanket robe things, who was complaining about how cold he was (Delaney could hit him for making such a comment while she shivered in her shorts, she really could). "R-r-really?" she muttered to herself.

Apparently, she hadn't muttered as quietly as she had intended to, because all of the grunts, as well as their leaders, looked up in surprise. "How did you find us?" the sage asked.

"T-t-this is n-not the t-time for a con-con-conversation," Delaney stated as confidently as she could. "L-let's g-g-g-get this over with!"

"Fellow followers of our lord!" the sage began. Delaney sighed loudly, and Cheren looked to her for answers, though now was not the time for those. "These trainers aim to tear down the very foundation of Team Plasma! They wish for pokemon to remain enslaved! For the sake of our cause, stop them now! Protect the pokemon, and protect me!"

"G-g-give me a b-b-b-b-break," Delaney said with a roll of her eyes. The swarm of grunts divided, half of them standing united in front of Delaney, while the other half opted to battle Cheren. A slew of watchogs, purrloins and sandiles (and one scraggy) were released throughout the container. Cheren released a darmanitan with a confident grin. Delaney went over her options in her head. While Perry could certainly take care of the group, no doubt his strong water attacks would serve to make the inside of the container as icy as the rest of the giant freezer. Synapse's bursts of energy would have no effect on the majority of their opponents, due to the dark-typing as most of the enemy pokemon. "A-Alec, I g-guess it's up to y-you!"

Though Alec wasn't nearly as tall as most other scraggys, what he lacked in height, he made up for in wit. He most definitely has a smirk on his face as Delaney released him, ready to kick some tail. She and Cheren exchanged a grin. The sooner they wiped out the grunts, the sooner they would be back out in the warmth.

* * *

><p><em>"Delly?" her father said, obviously surprised. "Is everything okay?"<em>

_ "Yeah," said the brunette, managing a weak smile. She sat crosslegged on her bed at the Pokemon Center. Perry laid on her pillow, clearly not so happy. "I, uh, got the Bolt Badge today. Number four."_

_ "Fantastic!" Blake said with a smile. Though his collar was now perfect and his sweater was hanging over his shoulders like it was supposed to, there was still tension in his voice. Delaney couldn't help but wonder if that tension would be present every time they spoke now. "You're halfway through with Unova! How does that feel?"_

_ Delaney ignored the question though. "Dad, have you checked your computer today?" she asked instead._

_ "No, of course not," Blake said. "Today's been quite a… hectic day, if you will. I'm leaving all business until tomorrow. Why, do you need me to wire money to you?"_

_ "Oh no, Daddy. I have plenty from battling," she said. "I, uh…" she paused, unsure of how to word this next part. "I sent two of my pokemon to you. I thought you might like having them around, since most of the pokemon in your garden were taken."_

_ Blake's eyes grew wide. "Oh, Delaney, you didn't have to do that!"_

_ "I know," she said, looking down at her feet. "But they were stolen because of me, and I'm not even there to protect you, or comfort you… So I thought maybe Charlie and Dibs could do that for me. They're both pretty strong, so if Team Galactic bothers you again, you can send the two of them after them."_

_ "That's really sweet, honey," Blake said with the biggest smile Delaney had ever seen on his face. Delaney could swear she noticed a tear in one eye. "Thank you. I'll take good care of them, I promise."_

_ "Of course you will," Delaney said with a chuckle. "If I didn't think you would, they would stay with me. Charlie's a sweetheart, though, and he'll stay with you to the very end. You'll like him. And Dibs too. Make sure to let Dibs sleep in the laundry, though. He's awfully fond of nesting in clothes," she said. "And you make sure to tell Annette to play with Charlie while you're working."_

_ "I will, I will," Blake said, laughing. He paused and just stared at Delaney for a moment. "I'm proud of you, you know, kiddo? You're really growing up over there. I just wish I was there to see it firsthand."_

_ Delaney felt her own eyes getting a bit misty. "I'll be going back as soon as I can, Daddy, promise."_

_ "You call me if you get into any sort of trouble," Blake said pointedly. "I'm glad you're doing so well, Delaney. I've never seen you quite so happy." _

* * *

><p>The five minutes it took them to get back outside felt like hours. Delaney felt some feeling go back into her body as they stepped back into the real world. It wasn't particularly warm outside either, but anything was better than the freezer that they had been stuck in.<p>

All that remained of the group was a white square of paper on the ground outside the door, and though curiosity killed the meowth, it fueled Delaney. She unfolded the paper and took a good hard look at it- and immediately dropped it to the ground like it had burst into flames.

From where the paper laid open on the ground, the face of Delaney Caldwell stared back at her.

She had looked into the mirror and seen Christa White for so long now that the image of Delaney Caldwell, trainer from Sinnoh, was absolutely jarring. The picture had been clearly swiped from her trainer's registration card, as it also named her old team. The slender, pale face framed by long, straight platinum blonde hair was nearly the face of a stranger. She looked so young… so innocent. The sweet smile on her face had been gone for a long time.

Next to the copy of her trainer ID card was instructions: "Delaney Caldwell, 5'5", blonde hair, violet eyes. This girl is dangerous. If seen, please contact either a commander of Team Galactic or a sage of Team Plasma. She must be stopped."

Cheren picked up the flyer from where it laid, paying no attention to the bizarre manner in which Delaney was behaving. Delaney's eyes widened. The picture was in black and white- surely Cheren would recognize her. "Delaney Caldwell!" Cheren exclaimed. He had apparently recovered from the cold in no time. Delaney jumped. She knew Cheren was too bright to not catch on. He looked to Delaney. "You've heard of her, right? She's one of the best trainers in Sinnoh, if not the world!"

Delaney took a deep breath. He was kidding, right? "I wouldn't go that far," she said, biting her bottom lip. "I'd save that for… You know, gym leaders, Elite Four members, champions… People like that."

"No, this girl is a real hero. She stopped Team Galactic in Sinnoh singlehandedly, and then went to challenge the Pokemon League of Sinnoh, and almost beat Cynthia on her first try!" Cheren said with a massive grin. For a moment, it seemed, Cheren had forgotten who he was talking to, or maybe he didn't care. His eyes lit up like a child's- Delaney had never seen him so excited. "Bianca and I used to watch all the news reports on her. She was the reason we bugged Professor Juniper to get pokemon. We both wanted to be amazing like her."

Delaney found it hard to swallow suddenly. "She can't be that good. After all, isn't Team Galactic back?"

"Well, yes," Cheren said with a grimace. "The news said Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic, broke out just to go after Delaney. Nobody's seen her in months- not since she battled Cynthia. They're saying she's out training somewhere else." Oh, if only Cheren knew how true that was…

"Maybe that's a good thing. Cyrus is probably a very dangerous man," she said quickly.

Cheren thought for a moment. "Didn't you say before that you were from Sinnoh?" he asked. "When we were talking in Pinwheel Forest?"

Delaney pretended to take a very vested interest in the clock on her Crosstransceiver. "Cheren, look what time it is! The gym is closing soon!"

Thank goodness Cheren was so easily distractible with battle talk. He dropped the flyer to the ground. "Are you going to battle Clay tonight?"

"Um… No. I was thinking I might… catch some pokemon around here! To, you know, help me beat Clay!" Delaney said, throwing together words haphazardly.

Cheren gave her a puzzled look. "You're a strange one, Christa," he said, raising his eyebrows. "If you're not going to challenge Clay tonight, I think I will." And with that, Cheren took off, leaving Delaney standing awkwardly in the front of the storage unit.

Delaney glanced down at the flyer and picked up her Crosstransceiver. There was definitely trouble, alright.

* * *

><p>When Delaney ran through a door out of breath soon after taking flight, it was not the gym door she ran through, but the Pokemon Center's. She handed over Alec's pokeball so that the scraggy would be healed, and asked for a room key. The nurse rented with a room key within a few moments, but told her the line was healing was a bit long, so she would have to wait for Alec. Delaney went up to her room in the meantime, just in case Cheren entered the lobby and began to ask questions.<p>

The room that she got this time was quite a bit bigger, even giving her a second bed. She released both Perry and Synapse. The otter pokemon claimed the second bed within seconds, though Delaney warned him he'd probably have to fight with Alec when he returned. Perry didn't care though- he was still overall not too pleased. Synapse hovered uncertainly for a moment and then took a place at the foot of Delaney's bed. Delaney smiled at the solosis.

"_He's mad because his friends are gone,_" a sweet, high-pitched voice told her. Delaney looked around the room wildly. Who was in there? She finally turned to Synapse. Delaney hadn't even realized Synapse was a girl. Was that the way the solosis line communicated? Roz never had, but maybe the bronzong's metal body had something to do with that. "_Sorry, I probably should've warned you. Most people get freaked out the first time I do this."_

"No, no, it's quite alright," Delaney said awkwardly. "Does that mean you're like, reading my mind?"

"_No, no, no,"_ Synapse explained. "_This is just the only way I know how to communicate. I probably could read your mind if I really wanted to, but I don't."_

"Lucky for me," Delaney muttered to herself. There was a lot in there nobody should know.

* * *

><p><em>"Hello?" It was almost a relief to see Lydia's kind face and pleasant blue eyes answering the phone… Almost.<em>

_ "We have a problem," Delaney said, biting her lip. She reached down and grabbed the flyer. "Has Daddy talked to you at all?"_

_ Lydia's brow furrowed. "Sweetheart, you know as well as I do that when something happens, I'm not the one your father calls. What happened? Are you hurt? Where are you?"_

_ "I'm not hurt," Delaney said, answering what seemed to be the most worrisome question first. "I'm in Driftveil City. Team Galactic ransacked the house today, Mom. They stole some of Daddy's pokemon and they searched everywhere. I'm pretty sure they ruffled up Daddy a bit too, but he won't tell me."_

_ Lydia's eyes grew wide. "Oh dear. I'm so sorry. Is he alright? Are your pokemon back there alright?"_

_ Delaney had to admit, she was both impressed and appreciative that Lydia had thought of Delaney's pokemon. "Nobody was hurt," Delaney told her. "One of the maids hid my pokemon, so Team Galactic didn't get them either." _

_ "I'm so glad to hear that," Lydia said, smiling._

_ "That's not the only problem, though," Delaney said with a grimace. She held the flyer up to the screen on her Crosstransceiver._

_ "I can't see it all that well, dear," Lydia told her._

_ Delaney sighed. "It's a picture of me, Mom. As in, a picture of Delaney. Team Galactic is looking for me." She read the flyer to herself again. The words __**'or a sage of Team Plasma'**__ stood out to her. "And apparently Team Plasma is looking for me too. Her. Delaney. Whatever."_

_ "Delaney, you're still her. You're still Delaney," Lydia said gently. "But that's an issue for later. Do you think anybody knows who you are?"_

_ "It is a black and white picture. It doesn't look too far off," Delaney admitted. "But somehow nobody's noticed, or if they have, I don't know about it."_

_ "Well, the fact that you put your hair up often probably helps. I realize this may sound kind of dumb to you, but what about a hat? Maybe you should get one," she suggested._

_ "That may not be the worst idea ever," Delaney said, nodding. "I'm sorry to bother you with this… But I'm really worried, and I don't want to stress Daddy out even more. Please don't tell him."_

_ Lydia offered her a small smile. "Just as your father doesn't call me with news, I don't call him. But you know if things get worse, I'm going to have to, don't you? It's my duty as your mother."_

_ The younger brunette sighed. "Yeah, I know," she said. Delaney gazed around her surroundings. Standing next to a small tree by a grass patch was a flash of neon green. Delaney's eyes widened. "Mom, let me call you later, okay?"_

_ Lydia had obviously noticed her daughter's sudden look of panic. "Is everything okay, sweetie?"_

_ "I'll call you back!" Delaney said, panicking even further._

_ As she hung up the phone call, she began to walk over to where she had seen the green. Sure enough, there was Cream battling a pokemon that looked like an ice cream cone. She was composed and calm, with an emolga hovering in the air around her. "Oh, it's you again," Cream said, raising her eyebrow. "I don't think you ever told me your name."_

_ Delaney was really beginning to panic. How much had she heard? Did she know what her real name was? "C-Christa," Delaney stuttered, though this time it had absolutely nothing to do with the cold. "Christa White."_

_ "Funny how I've seen you so often, but I don't even know who you are," Cream said. "Sparkle, use your spark attack on that vanillish."_

_ "Emolga is weak against ice-type opponents," Delaney said absentmindly. "Because of the flying-type."_

_ Cream chuckled. "I'd think somebody with your experience would know it's not all about typing. If you're strong enough, it doesn't matter, and Sparkle is strong enough." For a second, just a second, Cream looked almost angry that Delaney would dare insinuate that Sparkle was not strong enough. Apparently the emolga held special value to her._

_ Somebody with her experience? As in somebody with Christa's experience… Or somebody with Delaney's experience? "Of course not," Delaney said. "Typing doesn't always matter. Just thought I'd point that out."_

_ "I know that, Christa," Cream said, putting extra emphasis on her name. Delaney was beginning to feel really nervous. How much DID she know? "Did you see Clay taking Team Plasma out of here earlier? I wonder what they did now. You do watch the news, don't you?"_

_ "They were hiding in that storage over there," Delaney said. "I think they were just here and Clay wanted them out of the city."_

_ "They didn't even do anything and Clay arrested them?" Cream asked incredulously, her crimson eyes growing wide. "That's insane! That's like walking into a city and being hauled off to jail for just being there!"_

_ Why was Cream defending Team Plasma? "I'm pretty sure you walking into a city and getting arrested and a crime syndicate walking into a city and being arrested are two totally different things," Delaney stated. "It's not like they haven't committed crimes before."_

_ "Then arrest them when they do something bad, not for just being somewhere that you don't like them being!" Cream said. The emolga looked up at her with wide eyes. "Leave the vanillish be for now. There are more important things to worry about." And with that, the emolga perched on her shoulder and Cream began to stalk away, but not without a look back at Delaney._

_ This time, Delaney made sure she was completely alone before speaking. "Oh Arceus," she muttered. "This is lovely."_

* * *

><p>"So in summary, there may or may not be somebody who knows who I am, and even if she hasn't caught on, there are people searching for me anyways," Delaney finished. "Sorry, I know that was a very long story, but you had to understand the context. This is not good. This is really, really not good."<p>

"_Shouldn't you maybe call your mom back?"_ Synapse asked. "_You told her you would and she's probably worried."_

"I know," Delaney sighed. "I'm just trying to figure out a way to make this sound not as bad as it actually is."

"_Good luck with that,"_ the psychic pokemon said sarcastically. "_Because I think this is as bad as it sounds. You should be careful. That Team Galactic sounds dangerous. Good thing Perry, Alec and I are here to protect you!"_

"Maybe we should go get Alec," Delaney said with a smile at the pokemon. "And then I'll call my mother, I promise." With that, she got up from the bed, grabbing her room key from the small side table. Perry was asleep on the second bed, so she decided not to wake him up. Synapse got up from her position on the bed and glided through the air and until she was hovering directly above Delaney's left shoulder.

Delaney was careful to lock the door behind her as she and Synapse left the room, even though they were only going to be gone a few minutes. She just didn't feel as safe as she had the day before.

"_So should I call you Delaney or Christa then?" _Synapse asked cheerfully.

Delaney was honestly unsure of what to tell her (and she was afraid of saying the name Delaney out loud anyways in public places). She headed towards the front desk with her sassy scraggy in mind. "Call me whatever makes you happy," Delaney said with a smile.

"_I think I'll stick with Delaney, even though you're kind of Delaney and kind of Christa. They're pretty much the same person, but they're kind of different too, you know?"_

Oh, she knew.

* * *

><p>I know, I know, I just keep getting earlier with updating each week. Here are some points I know will be made, so I'm going to clear a few things up right now.<p>

1) If you paste the italics into a document, they will not read you a whole story. This chapter is not supposed to be chronologically ordered. Originally these were two separate chapters- Elesa (a full battle with her) and Delaney's dad were supposed to be in one, and the Cold Storage was supposed to be a whole different chapter, along with the part in the game when you're on route 5 with Cheren and Alder. If I had kept them as separate chapters, they would've been really boring for me to write AND for you to read.

2) I realize that many journey fic readers don't like skipping gym battle scenes because "they're the point of a journey fic". This is not a battle-based journey story. It is more character driven. Some things that were big in the games (like gym battles) are sacrificed here so that I can extend other scenes. This is not a shot-for-shot literary adaptation of Black and White.

But anyways...

Thank you again **Maddiepink5** for letting me use the fabulous Cream. And WAYYYYYY mucho thank you to **Noteleks.** If you have somehow missed me saying so in my author notes, Noteleks is both my beta and the person whose story I beta, as well as a fantastic reviewer in general. She has also made a REALLY awesome piece of fanart for this story. I will put a link up in my profile if you are interested... So make sure to check it out!

As always, thank you so much for reading this story. In the time you took to read this, you could have been doing something like reading literature about the PreSocratic thinkers and writing a paper for Political Theory (as I should've been doing), so thank you for taking the time to read this humble little fan fiction instead. It makes my day.

See you next week!


	16. 16: Running Up That Hill

**Chapter 16: Running Up That Hill**

The thud of the krokorok hitting the ground resonated throughout the gym. Alec stared up at Delaney with excited eyes, waiting for her to say something about his win. The brunette chuckled a bit and bent down to see eye to eye with the scraggy. "Do you even need me to tell you how much you rocked it?" she said with an eyebrow raised. "That headbutt was kind of brilliant. It startled him just enough to let you really go in for the attack."

The scraggy jumped up and down excitedly, as if his trainer reciting his accomplishments made them that more special. Across the battlefield, a throat cleared. Delaney looked up to see Clay standing there, a smile playing at his mouth. "Very nice, Christa, but you think you can win against Excadrill?"

Delaney hadn't even seen the man recall his krokorok, but the fallen pokemon was on the battlefield no more. Now, a pokeball flew through the air and landed in the middle of the field. Within a few seconds, a battle-scarred excadrill stood with a vindictive glare on his face. Alec, however, could not be shaken by the pokémon that glowered down at him. "Given' up's the easy way out! If I wanted, I could have given up any old time!" Clay declared proudly with a slight smirk on his face.

Delaney felt a pang in her heart as she thought of the excadrill she could've had. She could guarantee that Dibs wouldn't have looked nearly as hostile as her opponent though. Dibs was just too perky to wear a glare. She thought of Annette playing with Dibs and Charlie and smiled as she turned her attention to the battle.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the harsh sound of metal on metal after Clay called out his first command. "Hone yer claws!" The excadrill had honed its claws and was now flexing and clenching its hands. Alec acted on his own and leered at the excadrill.

"Now, bulldoze that runt to the ground!" The excadrill stomped his feet on the ground and lowered his head.

Delaney realized that this bulldoze posed a far greater threat than the krokorok's. A solid steel helmet with two spikes protected the excadrill's head. Delaney scrambled for a way to counter. "Alec, use brickbreak!"

As the excadrill charged forward, Alec brought down a shift chop on the metal helmet on the excadrill's head. The metal dented slightly, but it wasn't enough to stop the juggernaut from trampling Alec into the ground.

The excadrill stamped back to Clay with a winner's stride, leaving Alec in the dust. The scraggy hadn't fainted and was struggling to get back up, but it was clear he was in pain.

"Alec, I know you want to keep fighting, but I really would like for you to take a rest," Delaney told her fallen pokemon, carefully choosing her words as to not offend him. "You've been so great and you really deserve it." Alec looked up at her, as if he were trying to find some way to argue with her, but instead, he just sighed and allowed Delaney to recall him. Like Clay, she currently only had three pokeballs with her. Synapse had fought hard against the palpitoad that Clay had brought out first, but she had fallen almost instantly to Krokorok. That was when Alec had been brought in. Krokorok had given him hell, but Alec was even more hell-bent on winning than his opponent and had come out victorious. And now it was time for the final team member to make an appearance (and also hopefully come out with a win).

Delaney threw her final pokeball into the ring and Perry popped out seconds later with a determined glint in his eyes that matched the one in his trainer's. Like Alec, Perry couldn't be intimidated.

"Bulldoze 'em again, Excadrill!" Clay called out. Judging by the look on his face, he thought he already had this battle won. Delaney was planning to show him otherwise.

"Go ahead. Perry, use your shell as a shield so those spikes don't get you." The baffled look on Clay's weathered face made Delaney smirk. The excadrill charged at Perry, who put up his own shield but remained stock-still. The collision sent Perry flying back, but the otter was still standing with a grim look of determination.

"One more bulldoze and we've won this!" Clay yelled with a grin. The excadrill began to charge forward yet again.

"Oh, isn't revenge sweet, Perry?" Delaney said with a bit of a smirk. "You know what to do." Before the excadrill could gain momentum, Perry lunged forward and knocked him flat to the ground. The powerful fighting-type move had floored the excadrill. Clay's eyes widened.

"Oh, what the hell," Delaney heard him mutter. "Slash at him while he's close!"

"Razor shell while _you're_ close!" Delaney countered. The excadrill swept its huge, sharp claws in a wide arc. Perry jumped over the claws with his a shell in each paw and slashed them both in an X on the excadrill's face. After that, the excadrill tried to feebly shake off the dewott.

"Finish him with a water gun," the young brunette commanded coolly. Perry shot a forceful jet of water in the other pokemon's face and it laid still after that.

As Clay recalled his pokemon, Delaney ran straight to her own and swept him up into her arms for a huge hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!" she squealed. "You're getting so strong, Perry!" The otter pokemon tittered at the praise and wrapped his small arms around his owner. Delaney felt a small tear come to her eye against her will, but she put Perry down and brushed it back before Clay could see it. Something told her that the Miner King wasn't exactly the warm and fuzzy sort.

"Impressive," was all Clay said as he handed her a badge. "That's a strong dewott you got there."

"He's pretty great," Delaney beamed as she put the badge in the case with the other four. "Thank you, Clay." And with that, the brunette turned to leave.

As she was about to board the elevator back upstairs, Clay spoke again. "That leader of Team Plasma bailed out the grunts you two captured. We had no choice but to release them."

Delaney stepped back from the elevator and looked sharply at Clay. "You what?"

"We had no choice," he repeated. "I just wanted you to know that. Be careful out there. Nobody's really sure what they're capable of."

Delaney glared at him as she boarded the elevator, but said nothing else. It infuriated her that he would even dare let Team Plasma go after all the work he had forced Delaney and Cheren to do in capturing them. To her, it didn't matter how much N was willing to pay in bail for them- it shouldn't have been allowed to happen.

The brunette was glowering as she headed back to the Pokemon Center. The trip this time would be short- the only things on her mind were healing up her pokemon and getting out of Driftveil. She would be headed to Mistralton within the hour.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, the road to Mistralton wasn't was clear as she would've hoped. The map given to her by her mother had been helping her get from place to place thus far, but unfortunately, it didn't really go into enough detail to prevent the brunette from being utterly, utterly confused. Delaney looked from the trees to the river to the vast grassy areas, but she couldn't make heads or tails of which way she was supposed to be heading. A cave loomed faintly to the east of her, towards the end of one of the rivers. It looked like there might be another to the very distant north, but what looked like the mouth of the cave was distorted by the numerous trees.<p>

"You look lost."

Delaney looked up from the map she was scowling at and looked around for the voice of Captain Obvious. Her eyes finally settled on a young man near a tree by the river (well, by one of the many). His hair was reddish brown (much more red than her fake hair), and his was quite a bit curlier. His eyes were a friendly brown and his outfit, a pair of black cargo shorts and a snug fitting green t-shirt with a baggy black hoodie over it, signified that he was also probably a trainer. As he approached where she stood, Delaney realized he was quite a bit taller than her (though most people were, in all honesty). "I _am_ lost. Are you always so observant?" the brunette asked with an eyebrow raise.

The guy chuckled a bit. "Not always, but something about you screamed poor little lost girl to me. Are you always so directionally impaired?"

Delaney shrugged before finally nodding. "Actually, yes. I have a map, but it's not helping me."

"Where are you trying to find?" he asked. "Maybe I can help."

"Mistralton City?" she asked. "If I follow this creek, will it lead me there?"

"Nope," he said, shaking his head. "But I can. Lead you there, I mean. That's where I'm heading too."

"Are you challenging the gyms too?" Delaney asked hesitantly. Though he seemed nice enough, Delaney wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to let somebody escort her somewhere. Last time she had allowed that, she had ended up in the rain with Galactic Commander Saturn, and look how _that_ turned out.

"Oh definitely not," the guy said with a bit of a grimace. "I'm really not that into training. I like the traveling part of journeying much more. I'm actually on my way there to visit my sister and her kids. She works at the airport there."

Well, he seemed nice enough- too nice to be some sort of Galactic or Plasma member, definitely. "Well, if you don't mind company…" Delaney said, her voice trailing off. _Besides, maybe it would be nice not traveling alone for once._

"Of course not. We just have to go through Chargestone Cave up ahead and then we'll be in Mistralton," he said matter-of-factly. He began to walk in the opposite direction- apparently Delaney had been _really_ lost. "I'm sorry, I don't know where my manners went," he said, stopping and extending his hand. "Sawyer Hale."

"Christa White," she said, accepting the handshake and offering a small smile. _This can't be too bad… It's just a short journey to Mistralton, right?_

* * *

><p>With Sawyer's expertise, it took much less time to find the entrance to the cave than it would've taken Delaney on her own. He had even given her a couple good laughs along the way. Now the two stood in front of the entrance to Chargestone Cave and to Delaney's misfortune, it was blocked by a giant web. Delaney shuddered to think of the giant bug that had to have created it.<p>

She was at a loss to think of how they would get past it. Dibs probably could've slashed through it, but without him, nobody in her team really could fight past the web. "Are you done thinking yet?" Sawyer asked her with a grin, his hand grasping a pokeball.

"I thought you weren't really that into training," Delaney said, raising an eyebrow at the pokeball.

"That doesn't mean I don't train," he said, feigning hurt. With that, he released a large red monkey with a jovial grin. Delaney took out her pokedex, which informed her that it was a simisear, the evolution of the fire monkey pansear that she had seen several trainers with before. "Flip, incinerate it!" With a casual blow of fire, the web was burned to ashes and Delaney and Sawyer were allowed to pass through.

"Wow," Delaney said, staring around her at the cave. She was mesmerized by all of the pretty rocks surging with energy and occasionally letting off a small spark. She had wandered a few feet in before she heard a crackle in her hand and looked down- her pokedex was on the fritz, probably because of the strong electrical charge very present in the air. Delaney shut off the machine and put it back in her bag. She hoped no permanent damage had been done.

It seemed Sawyer wasn't nearly as lucky though. "Agh!" he yelled. "My Crosstransceiver just shocked me. I think it's done for. I'm going to go step outside really quick and assess the damage. I'll catch up with you in a minute."

A minute passed, and then another minute, and then another, and Sawyer did not return. Delaney's wonder had since faded and she was beginning to get the eerie feeling that she was being watched. She was more than used to traveling by herself, and usually it didn't frighten her, but for some reason, she was really starting to get the chills now. She moved one hand to Perry's pokeball, ready to release the combative pokemon at the slightest provocation, as she glanced around, looking for the source of the weird feeling in her stomach. Goosebumps appeared on her arms, even though she wasn't cold.

"Is somebody else here?" she called out softly. "Sawyer, are you playing some sort of joke?" He could have been, for all she knew. It wasn't like she knew the guy, after all.

A bone-chilling hand brushed her own away from the pokeball and Delaney shrieked loudly. "This isn't funny!" she shouted. Three figures shrouded in darkness surrounded her, preventing her escape.

"Come," the one behind her whispered directly in her ear. Delaney nearly gagged from the stench coming from under the hood as it spoke. Their breath smelled absolutely rotten.

Yet, despite the dire situation she was in, Delaney couldn't bring herself to look her attackers in the face. Something was telling her she really wouldn't like what she would find.

Delaney was beginning to move forward without moving her legs herself, and she had suddenly lost the ability to breathe, it seemed. She wasn't sure if that had something to do with these strange creatures, or if she was having some sort of panic attack. It was beginning to feel like her brain was void of any rational thought. The only words running through her head were _I need to get out of here!_

She fell to the ground in a heap and took several deep breaths. The dark figures that had surrounded her had left as suddenly as they appeared, and in front of her now stood N, looking puzzled as to why she was on the ground and gasping for breath.

"Did you see that?" she asked wildly, temporarily forgetting her anger at the green-haired boy. Right now, she was more concerned that she hadn't just imagined all of that, that she wasn't completely insane. "What in the hell was that? What… What were they?"

"That was the Shadow Triad," N said matter-of-factly, like the brunette had just asked the most obvious question in the world. Delaney looked at him and sighed. Of course she wasn't going to get an answer that made sense out of a boy who thought he was a king. It was like trying to get a philosophical answer out of a six year old. " I'm not really sure what they are, but they work for Team Plasma." Well, at least he confirmed her sinking suspicions- they definitely weren't people, whatever they were.

"What did they want with me?" Delaney asked, still shaken up. It would be a long time before she forgot the absolute terror that she had felt only moments before.

"Ghetsis sent them to look after you and make sure you got here."

Delaney's eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. Within a few seconds, her anger was no longer forgotten. "You had those psychos follow me?"

"I told Ghetsis about you awhile ago," N said, ignoring her panic, which only caused her to freak out even further. "He sent the Shadow Triad to find out stuff about you and the people you interacted with. Your friend Cheren is apparently pursuing the ideal of strength, while Bianca is learning that not everybody can be strong. But you're different, Christa."

A new thought entered her brain and her anger subsided. If they had been following her, had they learned the truth about her and reported it to Team Plasma? Did Team Plasma now know that they were battling Delaney Caldwell, not Christa White? Did Team Galactic know that she was here now? Would they be the next ones surprising her in a cave?

She had a lot more to panic about than she thought. _Great._

Pounding footsteps brought Delaney out of her slight panic attack and into the present. A hand grasped her own and pulled her up from where she hadn't bothered to get up before. Sawyer's brown eyes looked into her own, worried. "I heard you screaming and I came running. Are you okay?" He looked around for the cause of her screaming and his eyes landed upon N. "Who are you, and what did you do to her?"

"Sawyer, it… It's okay. Let's just be on our way to Mistralton, okay?" Delaney asked. If N or any other Team Plasma member did know who she was, she didn't want anybody else knowing.

N's green eyes grew wide. "I didn't do anything," he said, sounding very young all of the sudden.

"Sawyer," Delaney repeated, tugging on the sleeve of his hoodie.

He turned back to her, his eyes dark with anger. "Let's go, Christa."

The two had turned their backs on N and began to head towards the back cave wall when a flustered N called out to them. "Team Plasma will be waiting for you later on, Christa!" he yelled. "Ghetsis wants to see what kind of trainer you really are. You can't avoid this!"

The brunette didn't dignify N with a response; instead, she picked up the pace. Sawyer, though, was another story. "Did he just say something about Team Plasma?" Sawyer asked, sounding slightly indignant. "Like, the criminals on the news Team Plasma?" Delaney, no stranger to this sort of conversation, shrugged. Sawyer looked like he was about to become angry again, so she nodded. "Did he just threaten you? Is he a part of Team Plasma?"

Well, any chance of Delaney having a normal trainer friend was pretty much gone now, she figured. "Yeah, he's the king," Delaney said flatly, as she began to head down a ladder to the next floor.

Sawyer began to step down after Delaney was well on her way down the ladder. "King?" Sawyer asked, clearly confused. He wasn't the only one. "This is a joke, right?"

"Not at all," Delaney said with the same dull tone of voice.

"And they want to battle _you_," he said, as if trying to make sense of it.

"Yep," the brunette said, jumping off at the bottom of the ladder. Her footsteps startled a couple people on the next floor. Delaney recognized the blonde immediately- it was a very cheerful Bianca. The woman with her, though, was entirely unfamiliar. Her brown hair was tied at the top of her head in a bun and under an open white lab coat, she wore a white t-shirt and teal skirt. Her turquoise eyes shone.

"Christa!" Bianca greeted her cheerfully, as one could expect. The woman with her looked at the brunette with curiosity.

"So _you're_ Lydia's daughter," the woman said wryly with a wide smile. "Nice to meet you, Christa. I'm Professor Aurea Juniper."

"Oh," Delaney said, flushing a little bit, thinking of the now dewott in her possession that had once been this woman's. "Nice to meet you as well. Thank you for the pokedex."

"Not a problem! Anything for a trainer!" she said, still chipper. "Speaking of that, I have something for you from your mom. She was hoping I'd run into you, or at the very least, that Bianca could give these to you later!" She unearthed a medium-sized white box from the tote bag over her shoulder and handed it to Delaney.

As Delaney pulled the lid off the box, Sawyer finally caught up with her and was saying something about he was afraid of heights (or something to that effect). Delaney was focused on the brand new white tennis shoes staring up at her, though. She should've been excited, seeing as how her sneakers were in tatters, but the idea of throwing out the sneakers she had bought herself in the very first town of her first journey made her feel slightly nauseous. They were just shoes, she knew, but they were really the only thing she had with her that were Delaney's, not Christa's. Throwing them away would be like officially throwing Delaney away.

Delaney just smiled and said thank you to the professor for delivering them. Professor Juniper was clearly surprised at the lack of excitement that the teenage girl had expressed at new shoes, but she said nothing of it. She explained instead that she was studying the pokemon klink. "And I'm her research assistant!" Bianca explained proudly.

After a few more moments of pleasant chatter (in all honesty, Delaney wasn't paying any attention to them whatsoever, and had been just smiling and nodding the entire time), Delaney and Sawyer excused themselves and began to head deeper into the cave once again, the new shoes safely tucked into Delaney's own bag. She wasn't ready to wear them- not quite yet.

"So, about this Team Plasma thing," Sawyer blurted out and Delaney looked back at him, confused.

"What about it?" Delaney asked.

"Well, you're going to need help, right?" Sawyer asked. "Well, I mean, you can't go do this on your own. I mean, you probably could, but you shouldn't have to." Though they had known each other for all of a couple hours, Delaney was close to grabbing and hugging the boy. She had been waiting for somebody to say that to her for a long time.

"I really don't know what to expect," the brunette admitted, looking down at the ground. "Nobody really knows what Team Plasma is capable of," she added, echoing Clay's sentiments from earlier.

"Well, we'll find out together," Sawyer said with a smile. "You really don't spend a lot of time with other people, do you?"

"Why do you say that?" she asked, slightly insulted. Just what was he trying to insinuate?

"You just don't look like you're used to people helping you out. You looked terrified when I offered to go with you to Mistralton." Sawyer looked away from the brunette, an awkward moment brewing.

"I'm just used to doing everything myself," she said stiffly and with that, she turned her focus to navigating the cave. She began to walk more quickly, pulling several paces ahead of Sawyer. She had no idea where she was going, but she was trusting that Sawyer would tell her if she somehow was about to get herself horribly lost. Hopefully he wasn't _that_ much of a jerk that he would just let her wander off in a cave alone.

It was a journey of silence as they headed through the cave and as much as Delaney loved the beautiful electric rocks, they didn't much cheer her up. She pushed one of the rocks to the side and it clung instantly to a nearby rock. Pushing the rock to the side, though, revealed a small, white eel-like pokemon who was letting off small sparks, hovering above the cave floor. "Oh wow," Delaney muttered to herself. "I wish I could figure out what you are, but I don't want to blow a fuse on my pokedex."

The small pokemon looked up at her with sad eyes and squealed, as if trying to tell her something. "I can't understand you…" she said softly, crouching down to its level. She grabbed the pokeball that contained Synapse. "But she can, and maybe she'll be able to clue me in." She released the psychic-type pokemon. The pokemon's eyes grew even wider, but it began to squeal again with fervor.

Synapse turned to her trainer. "This is a tynamo," Synapse began. "They usually travel in schools, but she was abandoned by her school after fighting with the school's leader."

"That's horrible!" Delaney said, her eyes widening. "What will she do now?"

"She'll have to live by herself," Synapse said. "But that's not a good thing. Tynamo aren't used to living by themselves."

"You can come with us, if you want," Delaney said, speaking to the tynamo directly. "We'd be happy to have you. I understand if you want to stay here, though. This is your home, and you deserve to stay in your home if that's what you want."

The tynamo looked at Synapse again and chattered, apparently realizing that this pokemon was the key to communicating to the trainer in front of it. "She said she'd like that," Synapse said with a giggle. "She said you're nicer than most of the trainers who come through here."

"Well, I'm honored," Delaney said with a smile. She reached for one of the empty pokeballs in her bag. She held it out in front of the tynamo. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Tynamo let out one final chipper squeal and fluttered through the air in delight. Delaney chuckled to herself and pressed the center button on the capsule. With a white light, Tynamo was sucked into the ball. She didn't struggle even slightly. "I'll have to come up with a good nickname for her," Delaney said to herself. She turned to Synapse who was hovering close to her left shoulder. "Thanks for talking to her for me. I appreciate the help."

"Of course," Synapse said sweetly. Delaney stood up from where she had been kneeling down.

"I'm going to put you back inside the pokeball, okay?" Delaney asked. "I don't feel totally safe with you out of the pokeball knowing that Team Plasma is around." She thought again on Clay's words. _Nobody knows what they're capable of._ Well, they were definitely capable of snatching pokemon- they had proven as much.

"I understand," the psychic-type told her. With that, the brunette recalled her pokemon and put both of the pokeballs in her bag.

A clapping noise sounded through the air. Delaney looked around wildly, only to find Sawyer standing there applauding. Delaney raised her eyebrows. "That was just kind of amazing," Sawyer said. "You can talk to pokemon? And understand them?"

"Oh, no no no," she said, quick to dispel the idea. She didn't want anyone to think she was like N, who claimed to understand what pokemon were saying. "Only Synapse, because she communicates… In other ways." She also didn't want to sound crazy and say that her solosis spoke to her inside her head.

"I've heard stories of psychic pokemon doing that," Sawyer said with a nod. "But still, the tynamo! You didn't even have to battle it. You just talked to it and it went with you voluntarily. _That_ I've never heard of."

"Tynamo travel in schools," Delaney said, repeating Synapse's words from earlier. "Her school abandoned her, and Tynamo aren't really suited for life alone."

"Nobody is," Sawyer said with a slight chuckle. He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

Delaney shrugged and continued walking forwards. She heard the footsteps behind her quicken and looked back. Sawyer was jogging to catch up with her. When he had finally reached her side, he held out his hand to her. "Truce," he said. "I really am sorry. Sometimes I just don't know when to shut up, I guess."

Delaney chuckled a bit. She could appreciate the honesty, at any rate. His bluntness reminded her a bit of Dax. The comparison only served to remind her how long it had been since she had talked to her best friend and she felt a pang of guilt that she hadn't called in a while. "Truce," she agreed, shaking his hand.

"You know, we're almost out of the cave. After we climb that ladder up there," he said, pointing to a ladder about five yards ahead of them. "We'll be at the exit."

"That must be where Team Plasma is, then," Delaney muttered, more to herself than to Sawyer. "That's where N must be."

"Do you think there's a bunch of them waiting to ambush us?" Sawyer asked, his brown eyes wide.

"I don't know what to expect," Delaney said, repeating her words from earlier. As they reached the ladder, she gulped. "I guess we'll find out in a moment." And with that, she began climbing.

Neither of the two were in any hurry to get up the ladder and find what was waiting for them, but unfortunately, there was only so much procrastinating one can do on a ladder before their grip begins to weaken. Delaney picked up the pace when she realized close to the top that she was having a much harder time keeping control of herself. Sawyer, with his fear of heights or whatever, was still relatively close enough to the bottom where he could jump off if need be. "We're almost there," he called up to her. "You've got this!"

With a groan, Delaney pulled herself up and finally reached the end of the ladder. She looked around wildly, her blue eyes scanning the cave for the knight-themed Team Plasma grunts that were so often prevalent. Instead, she found a small huddle of people who hadn't even acknowledged her presence yet.

"We'll see!" said a familiar-looking man with green hair. After a few seconds, Delaney recognized him as the man who had given the speech in Accumula Town- Ghetsis, right? A name like that was pretty hard to forget. It certainly wasn't a Fred or George. He looked rather angry. "What's so special about her anyways? She's not like you, boy. She's not a hero!"

"She's strong," another person spoke out. Delaney was surprised to realize that the voice belonged to the redheaded grunt that she had run into several times thus far. She was pretty sure this was the first time she was hearing him speak. "She and her friends have beaten us several times. There's something strange about her."

With a flush, Delaney realized they were talking about her. Talk about awkward. "Maybe there can be two heroes, Ghetsis! Just like in the story!" a third voice spoke up. Delaney immediately recognized it as N's. "Maybe she's been chosen!"

"You're speaking nonsense!" Ghetsis snarled. Well, at least they were in agreement about that. Two heroes? Chosen? This was not some fairy tale, and it was beginning to worry her that N really thought this was all real. Was there something wrong with him? "You and you alone are the chosen one. You and you alone will resurrect the dragon of truth-"

A crash behind Delaney brought the conversation to a halt and a moment later, Delaney felt herself tumble forwards. Sawyer had apparently not landed as gracefully as she had at the top. The three stared at the two trainers now both sprawled on the cave floor. Delaney looked at Sawyer and raised her eyebrows. "So… Good job with that," she muttered. Sawyer shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Christa!" N said, obviously delighted to see her. He was most definitely the only one. "You've made it here to the end, and now we're going to battle!"

"Just a moment, N. Arceus, you're so impatient," Ghetsis said, stepping in front of the two. He looked down at where Sawyer and Delaney were now sitting, trying to brush themselves off. "So you're Christa White."

Just as earlier with the dark figures, fear rested firmly in her stomach as she looked up at him. "Yes," was really all she could say. Was this the part where she was supposed to make some sort of epic speech about how she was going to fight them and stop their evil plans? What exactly was he expecting here?

"It seems you've put quite a dent in several of our plans," he said. His voice was laced with arsenic. "Why are you so determined to stop us?"

Well, it seemed like it would only piss Ghetsis off even further if she told him that stopping him really wasn't what she had set out to do and it almost seemed like adding insult to injury to tell him that she had somehow gotten dragged into almost every situation thus far, so instead, she looked up at him with her wide blue eyes and batted her eyelashes a few times (hoping that her adorableness would save her if things got really bad) and said, "I don't agree with your views."

Behind Delaney, Sawyer chuckled softly at first, and then burst out into a round of laughter. N looked mortally wounded by Sawyer's reaction and Ghetsis looked like he wanted to ring both Delaney and Sawyer's necks. "You don't believe in separating innocent creatures that are being hurt by selfish people forcing them to fight?" Ghetsis asked her, disdain dripping from his lips.

"Of course I do," Delaney said. "And abusive trainers should be left to rot in jail." Her mind flashed briefly to Cyrus and the sheer violence he had battled with. "But not all trainers are like that. That's where I believe you're wrong."

"You're just an ignorant child," Ghetsis said with a roll of his eyes, turning his back to her and walking away. "Someday, you'll realize the error of your words." He returned to where he had stood with N and Joshua. "You two, take care of her. We'll finish this discussion later." And with a few calculated steps, Ghetsis left Chargestone Cave, leaving N and Joshua standing by the exit and Sawyer and Delaney still sitting on the cave floor, all quiet and mulling over what had just happened.

"Well, that was awkward," Sawyer said, breaking the silence. Delaney stifled a giggle. Yeah, he definitely reminded her of Dax in a way.

N looked slightly insulted, but said nothing about it. "Christa," he started. She figured he was about to ask her to battle again and reached for her pokeballs. "Do you have a dream?"

Well, he had totally caught her off-guard there. "What?"

"A dream," he repeated. "Well, I guess I'll figure out what your dream is in battle!"

N pulled a pokeball off his belt and released a boldore before Delaney could even finish processing the question she had just been asked. Did she have a dream? Most trainers dreamt of being the Champion, but she never had, and especially now, the idea terrified her. She wasn't fit for the responsibility that the title of "Champion" held. She had once wanted to be an Elite Four member, but the appeal had been lost on her once she had grown tired of battling. And even now that she had begun to find it fun again, the old dream just didn't seem to matter as much anymore. If anything, her dream at the moment would be for this to all end so that she could go home.

Her green-haired opponent was looking at her quizzically as she finally grabbed Perry's pokeball and released the determined otter. Perry stood smirking at the challenger ahead of him, an especially large boldore clearly ready to throw down. N opened his mouth to release a command, but Delaney beat him to the punch. "Water pulse, Perry."

N's eyes widened- she had clearly flustered him. "No, Boldore, um… mud slap! Try to get mud in Dewott's eyes so he can't see you!" Perry, however, wasn't waiting for the giant rock pokemon to get an attack in. He released a large pulsating blast of water that hit Boldore dead on.

The green-haired trainer looked at Delaney, clearly scandalized. Boldore was struggling to get back up, but he hadn't fallen yet. N ran to his side. "Do you really believe that pokemon battles help us understand each other?" he asked, scowling.

"To an extent," Delaney said with a shrug. Perry looked up at her, awaiting the next attack.

"Boldore, can you get up?" N asked, ignoring his opponent completely. Boldore grumbled something in response and it was clear that he at the very least hadn't been knocked out, but still, N was hesitant. "I can't make you battle when you're so weak… That would make me as bad as the trainers I'm fighting against. Please, rest." N recalled the boldore and grabbed another pokeball from his belt.

Within a few seconds, a silvery machine-like pokemon materialized, whirring its gears. "Klink, charge beam!" N called out.

A beam of light shot out at Perry. "Block it with your shell!" Delaney called. Perry instantly grabbed both scalchops and held them in front of his face. The charge beam bounced back off the shell and hit a cave wall. "Nice!" she said with a grin.

"Yeesh!" she heard Sawyer yelp. Delaney searched around the cave until she found him, mere feet away from where the charge beam had hit. "That was close." An excadrill stood in front of him, blocking off attacks from a palpitoad commanded by Joshua, though it looked like he was having a hard time blocking the torrents of mud.

"Sorry, Sawyer!" she called. "Okay, Perry, this may be tricky, but let's try to shoot it with another water pulse. We can at least confuse it so it attacks itself and not you."

"Nuh uh!" N said stubbornly, clearly frustrated. "Use your gear grind, Klink!"

The mechanical pokemon charged towards the otter with alarming speed and determination. Before Perry even dared to let off a water pulse attack, the klink fired off a gear that was aimed straight for Perry's head. Perry panicked and ducked and then flew towards the klink and stuck one of his scalchops in between its gears. It made a horrible grinding noise for a moment, and then shards of shell flew everywhere. One ricocheted off of Excadrill's claws and hit Palpitoad in the stomach with alarming force. Another hit Delaney in the leg and became embedded in her leg. It was mainly Klink and Perry that got the brunt of the damage, however.

Delaney winced as she ran to where the little otter laid on the cave floor with a smirk on his face. "Perry, your shell! Are you okay?"

Perry shrugged. He had been wounded by the shrapnel, but not too direly. Klink looked far worse than he did, and that was what mattered.

"My friends getting hurt, that's what battling is!" N said, breathing heavy and clearly angry. He recalled the klink and stood staring where Delaney was sitting next to Perry. The storm of N's anger seemed to clear quickly, though. "Your leg! You got hurt, too! See, this is why battling is bad. People _and_ pokemon can get hurt."

"Perry just got scared, for some reason," she said softly, rubbing the dewott behind the ear. "He's never done that before. Sorry, N."

The redhaired grunt, Joshua, joined N where he was standing. "What just happened?"

N shook his head. "It doesn't matter. This battle doesn't matter. None of this matters!" he said, his voice rising with each statement. Clearly Sawyer and Joshua's battle was over already, though it was unclear who was victorious. Sawyer joined Delaney on the ground and inspected her leg. Blood was starting to drip from the wound, though the piece of shell lodged inside stopped it from really bleeding. "As if I could pursue my ideals with something as meaningless as a battle. As if winning could make me worthy of meeting the legendary pokemon!"

"Sounds like you're just mad that you lost," Sawyer said, raising an eyebrow. Despite how much her leg was really starting to hurt, Delaney still had to stifle a laugh. "You can't win them all."

"Oh, what do you know?" N asked, clearly irritated. He opened his mouth to continue his tirade when they heard a crash elsewhere in the cave. Both Professor Juniper and Bianca were sprawled out on the cave floor.

"Sorry I'm such a klutz, Professor Juniper!" Bianca was saying. The older woman was chuckling as she picked herself up and then extended a hand to Bianca to help her up as well.

"It's quite alright, Bianca!" she said with a smile. They began walking towards the cave exit, only to find a fuming green-haired young man and a Team Plasma grunt standing and staring down at Delaney, her dewott and Sawyer. "What's going on here? Christa, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I will be," she said, managing a smile. Perry looked at her apologetically and put one of his paws on her leg. "Don't worry about it," she said to him. "You were scared, I understand." She grabbed her bag from the ground and fumbled around until she found Perry's pokeball. "I want you to get inside. I'm worried that if you try to get up and walk around, you'll get shards stuck in your foot." Perry rolled his eyes, but complied anyways. Delaney recalled the blue otter pokemon and put his pokeball back in her bag.

"Your leg is bleeding!" Bianca said with wide eyes. "We should probably get you to the Pokemon Center, Christa!"

Delaney had almost forgotten completely about N and Joshua until N finally spoke up. "You're Professor Juniper," he said, his eyes trained on the woman in front of her. "You appear to have no qualms about the relationship between people and pokemon. You put pokemon into arbitrary rules and think you can understand them… You disgust me!"

Delaney's eyes grew wide as she stared at N. Perhaps she hadn't realized the intensity of his beliefs. Maybe she had, and she had written them off because she thought they were silly… But it seemed like he really believed that by trying to separate people and pokemon, he was going to be doing a good thing.

Did that make him evil then? Did his association with Team Plasma make him evil?

Delaney thought back to when Ghetsis had been the one staring down at her, the fear that had welled up in her. She thought back to when the dark figures called the Shadow Triad had surrounded her and the panic she felt. Ghetsis, the Shadow Triad… There was something bad about them. Delaney didn't know what, but they were bad. Just as Cyrus had been bad, and the others, they had just been misguided… Right?

Or was she just doing what N had accused Professor Juniper of doing? Putting people into arbitrary categories and thinking that she could understand? Did she really understand N? Did she think that she could understand Cyrus… Or even Alex for that matter?

Professor Juniper and N were still talking, and Bianca and Sawyer staring at Delaney, and Joshua was contemplating something and Delaney? Delaney was beginning to get very, very dizzy, and then she dropped.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (205/12):** Before I say anything else, thank you, thank you and THANK YOU to the wonderful **Noteleks**, who was SUCH an enormous help with this chapter, especially the battle scene. Best beta ever. (:

Next... Sorry for the delay, everyone. It's been a bit of a crazy week... But I promise 17 won't be as delayed. I'm already half done with it, as it is among my favorite chapters in this story. (:

Thanks again to **ej92** for letting me use Joshua. This was a bit of a brief appearance, but there was a lot to cram into this chapter.

As always, thanks to all of you wonderful readers and reviewers. It very much makes my day to have people who enjoy reading what I write. I appreciate you all SOOOO much.

See you a bit later this week, all! (:


	17. 17: Glittering Blackness

**Chapter 17: Glittering Blackness**

When Delaney woke up in a room that was pure white, her heart almost dropped to the floor. She had dreamt of the past before, sure- her journey, the Spear Pillar… But never after the Spear Pillar. She scanned the room, awaiting her father sitting in a chair directly next to her bedside, a grave expression on his face. Dax was on the other side of the bed and he shrieked when he saw her eyes open. She knew this story well- she didn't have to dream about it every night to remember. Despite how much she loved her wonderful father and best friend, she was looking for Alex. He wasn't there. She wouldn't forget the disappointment of _that_ realization any time soon.

After a few moments of excitement that she was awake, the doctor would enter the room and they would go into extensive discussion about her _recovery _(Arceus, she hated when they used that word- it made her feel like she was either terminally ill or an alcoholic in rehab). They would discuss treatment options. Did she want an in-home nurse? Of course she didn't, she wasn't that gravely injured (was she?). Did she want to begin seeing a psychiatrist? Of course she didn't, she wasn't crazy (was she?).

She glanced around the room, but still, it took Delaney a couple of minutes to realize that her father and Dax weren't in the room with her. Instead, Sawyer sat where Dax once had, and Bianca was where her father had been (though the room looked the same… Didn't all hospital rooms, though?).

"Oh, Christa, thank goodness you're awake!" Bianca said, jumping to her feet instantly. "We were so worried!" Delaney looked back and forth at them, confused. If this was a dream, why did it feel so real?

Because it was real, obviously.

This wasn't her flashing back to the Spear Pillar. It couldn't be… Bianca had called her Christa. Christa White didn't exist back then. Besides, she hadn't known Bianca and Sawyer then.

At a second glance, the room was barely similar. It was all white, yes, but it was much smaller than the room at the hospital she had been taken to after the Spear Pillar incident. Delaney wasn't even in a hospital gown. Hell, she wasn't even under covers. She was lying on top of a small cot with her thigh bandaged right above the knee… Where the shell had hit her.

And then, of course, it all rushed back to her. The battle with N, the shell breaking and shrapnel flying everywhere… She had passed out in the cave. What an idiotic thing to do. What was she, some stupid damsel in distress? How had she gotten here, anyways?

"How did I get here?" the brunette asked out loud.

"I carried you, of course," Sawyer said with a grin full of bravado. Bianca raised her eyebrows at him. That faux-macho grin of his suddenly turned sheepish. "Well me, and Bianca, and N… Apparently I need to work on my upper-body strength. Bianca called me a wimp."

Delaney chuckled a bit at the mental image and then paused. _N had helped carry her?_

"He said he felt guilty," Bianca said, as if she could read Delaney's mind. "Sawyer and I told him that we were fine carrying you alone, but he insisted. Though really, Sawyer is a wimp."

"What a weird guy," Sawyer interjected, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from his lack of physical strength. "That's the one that thinks he's a king, right?"

"Well, that was nice of you guys!" Delaney said cheerfully, attempting to steer the conversation in yet another direction. She wasn't quite ready to discuss Team Plasma- not yet. "Where are we exactly?"

"Oh, just the Pokemon Center of Mistralton," Bianca said matter-of-factly. "Sawyer didn't think it was bad enough to go to the hospital so we came here and the nurse just took you back to the examination room for you to lie down so she could bandage you up."

"Cool, so I can leave whenever, right?" Delaney said, beginning to stand. Instantly, she felt her leg begin the shudder underneath her and she grabbed the side of the cot for support. Sawyer and Bianca both got up to help her, but Delaney waved them off with her good hand. "No, I'm going to have to get used to this eventually!" she said, forcing a cheerful smile despite how much her leg actually hurt. She refused to be some lame damsel in distress. That was just not her.

"Technically you can leave… Though the nurse said you probably shouldn't travel alone," Bianca said. "I can go to the gym with you if you want, but it would be later this week, if you want to spend a few days resting. I promised Professor Juniper I'd go help her put together a report on our findings from Chargestone Cave."

The idea of sitting around for days with nothing really to do made Delaney cringe. That was the sort of thing that had been specifically outlined in her treatment was _unadvised._ Thinking was dangerous for her, the hospital doctor had said. She needed to fill her days with things that distracted her from all that had happened.

And that had been then. Now she had a whole new batch of things to think about. But then again, what choice did she really have? And it was definitely nice to Bianca to even offer to take care of Delaney. She opened her mouth to smile and say it was fine, but Sawyer beat her to the punch. "That's okay, Bianca, I'll go with her," Sawyer said, flashing a smile at the brunette.

"Aren't you supposed to go see your sister?" Delaney asked. Wasn't that why he said he was here? To see his sister and her kids?

"Already talked to her. She'll have to live without me for one more day. You, on the other hand, are not so fortunate. Come on, let's go." And with that, Sawyer grabbed the arm that was not clutching the cot for dear life and linked it through his own. "See, this won't be so bad. If you fall, I'll fall."

"Aren't I the luckiest?" Delaney said wryly. She was grinning slightly as she took a hesitant step forward.

"I'm going to head back to Nuvema now!" Bianca announced, a curious smile on her face. In all honesty, Delaney had briefly forgotten she was there. "Feel better, Christa! I'm sure I'll see you soon!"

"Bye Bianca!" Delaney called, waving her arm despite the fact that it was linked through Sawyer's.

"Bye! It was nice meeting you!" Sawyer called after the blonde. And with that, he turned to Delaney. "You better be careful, missy," he said, wriggling his eyebrows. "I am not responsible if you fall again. You probably should've warned me before we left for Mistralton that you've got a knack for attracting trouble."

"Oh, you have no idea," Delaney said with a chuckle.

* * *

><p>"I thought you wanted to challenge the gym," Sawyer said with a frown, looking up at the tower in front of them. "This is most definitely not the gym."<p>

"It's not?" Delaney asked in mock surprise. "I can't believe it."

"Sarcasm isn't becoming, Christa," the auburn-haired boy informed her.

"Puh-leaze, Sawyer," Delaney said, rolling her eyes. "But regardless, they flat out refused to let me challenge the gym because of my leg, even with the waiver signed. Said something about the gym design being too dangerous for anybody with an injury. You'd think they have people being shot out of cannons in there or something."

"Seriously," Sawyer said with a chuckle. "And this was where they said you could find Skyla to try to talk to her about it?" Delaney nodded.

"But seriously," Sawyer continued. "When you are too injured to challenge the gym, that is also probably a sign that you're too injured to climb a giant tower. This is kind of ridiculous. Why don't you just wait until they clear you? "

"It's just something I really need to do." It was true, but not necessarily for the reason Sawyer thought. Delaney was in no hurry with her gym challenge. Staying until later in the week or even into the following week was not Delaney's concern.

It was the Celestial Tower of Unova, after all, where Marvel had been sent after the Spear Pillar incident. Blake had insisted that burying Marvel in Sinnoh would mean Delaney would never recover and so he had pulled some strings, spoken to the Champion of Unova himself and gotten permission for the togekiss to rest in Unova instead. He hadn't anticipated Delaney soon leaving for Unova herself.

But then again, nobody could've seen that coming.

After a moment of silence, Sawyer finally spoke up. "Okay, but I just know I'm going to end up having to carry you out and you know, this time Bianca and that weirdo N aren't here to help me."

Delaney flung her arms around him. "Thank you, Sawyer!"

He sighed. "You're welcome. You're not going to beg and cry and make me feel awkward, are you?"

"I can't promise anything," she admitted. She wouldn't beg, but that didn't mean there would be no tears. "I'll try not to."

"It's okay, Christa. I was just kidding. I don't ever feel awkward anyways," Sawyer said, chuckling to himself.

"You? I never could've guessed," the brunette said, taking one wobbly step forward. Sawyer sighed and grabbed her arm, attempting to help her balance. It was going to be a long trip up to the top.

* * *

><p>After two staircases, the pain in Delaney's leg had gone from an irritating pain to full out throbbing. As they stood at the top of the staircase on the third floor, Delaney couldn't help but notice that this floor was eerily empty. The previous two floors had been loaded with trainers and visitors galore. Many of them sat at gravestones and a few cried. A few younger trainers battled with each other. Floor three, though, was the exact opposite- completely desolate, with the exception of Delaney and Sawyer... And one other boy. His back was turned to her, but his hair was a familiar shade of blue-black and his slender build was just like <em>his.<em> He was at a grave with several different bouquets of flowers surrounding it, as well as a few cards. Whoever's it was, they were certainly loved.

It wasn't necessarily the grave that Delaney was focused on though. Her heart thudded in her chest, and her jaw dropped slightly. This _had_ to be him. This had to be the moment she had been waiting for all this time. She ignored quizzical looks from Sawyer standing at her side and took a few steps forward without his help. Though she was wincing because of the pain, she couldn't stop until she reached him. Sawyer followed her, unsure of what was going on.

_Come to Unova. Find me. _Had she?

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, like some sort of idiot, she coughed.

The boy spun around quickly, and Delaney noticed almost immediately that his eyes were such a dark brown, they were almost black. His face was round and tan, instead of angular and pale like Alex's. It wasn't him… At least Delaney hadn't made a complete idiot of herself (though she couldn't put into words how disappointed she was). "Another fan," he said, as he began to head towards the ascending staircase on the other side of the room.

"Pardon?" Delaney was absolutely confused. _Another fan of what?_

"That grave there?" he said, gesturing to the one he had been standing in front of. "Delaney Caldwell's togekiss." Delaney froze, her eyes fixated on the grave standing in front of her. Her breath caught in her throat. "A lot of people stop by here to pay their respects. It's a sign of gratitude to her for saving us all from that crazy fucking Team Galactic, even though she'll probably never see it." He turned his back towards her again and began heading up the stairs.

"Wow," Sawyer said behind her. Delaney took a few cautious steps towards the grave. There were more flowers around the perimeter of the headstone than she had originally seen. She gingerly picked up one of the cards. _Thank you, Miss Caldwell. You're my hero!_ She set it back down and picked up another one. _Your bravery is an inspiration to all._

If only they knew.

Most days, she could pretend that there wasn't a time when she hadn't wanted to chase Team Galactic up Mount Coronet, but at times like this, it was impossible to pretend. There was no way to ignore that she hadn't almost sacrificed the region of Sinnoh- no, the world- to Team Galactic because she was completely and utterly selfish. And there was no way to ignore that Marvel had fallen prey to this whole mess. If she had only trained harder, if only she had better prepared for the brutality that Cyrus fought with, if only she could have just accepted the responsibility that had been placed upon her shoulders instead of trying to fight it… Marvel could have been relaxing back at home with the others. Instead, here he sat, all alone in an ivory tower, a cautious tale to all about messing with the wrong people.

She hadn't even realized she had started to cry, but she couldn't stop, just as she couldn't stop looking at the cards. They both touched her heart and revolted her. If only they knew that she really was no hero.

Her mind was a jumble of so many different thoughts, and none of them good. She wished she had been a better trainer. She wished she could've been the hero everyone wanted her to be. she wished that the boy at the grave had been Alex. She wished that she had never come to Unova, period, that Cyrus had just stayed and rotted in jail like he deserved to.

By that point, Sawyer had reached where she stood in tears and put a hand on her shoulder. She was waiting for some sort of sarcastic comment or joke or even a question, but none of those things ever came. She turned to face him and apologize for her moment of insanity, only to find an expression of utter confusion on his face. "You don't have to explain anything right now," he told her. "You're upset. You'll tell me all about it later, I'm sure."

She shook his hand off her shoulder and began to head in the direction of the dark-haired boy, towards the ascending staircase. The floor was almost entirely dark, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a peculiar light.

Peeking out from behind Marvel's tombstone was a litwick, a peculiar smile on its face. He peered up at her with large eyes. It was eerie how much that gaze looked like Marvel's as a togepi.

Delaney's own eyes widened. She had heard stories growing up of people being reborn after they died, but she had never really believed them. Could pokemon be reborn as well? Or was this all just a really strange coincidence?

* * *

><p>Delaney had named him Marvel. It seemed only fitting. Even if this litwick was not some reincarnation of her fallen togekiss, it was still the perfect tribute. Delaney began to head up the stairs to the next level, her leg roaring in pain. Sawyer's arm was linked through her own like it had been at the Pokemon Center. The silence between them was remarkably awkward- with Sawyer, she wasn't used to the quiet. Any other day, Delaney would've joked around about how his statement earlier that he "didn't get awkward" was obviously not true, but she couldn't find it in herself to joke around.<p>

The two were nearly to the top of the tower, where hopefully Skyla was waiting. There was still a heavy feeling in her heart that wouldn't go away and it seemed to get heavier with each step she took to the top. As she glanced back down at Marvel's grave, she noticed another trainer stop and place a single carnation where Delaney had been standing just a moment before.

It was a bit chilly at the top, but the night was clear… and beautiful. The sky was flooded with stars, each of them shining remarkably bright. Delaney had always been a city girl, and in the city, the stars were never as bright. Even though Delaney's house hadn't been directly in Hearthrome, it was still close enough to where Delaney hadn't been able to appreciate a full sky of stars until she had left home on her journey. Delaney's breath caught in her throat for just a moment. Then, remembering what she was doing at the Celestial Tower, she glanced around for the girl she presumed to be Skyla.

There was not a girl at the top though, but instead, a man with long, flaming orange hair staring off into the night. He turned to her as she took hesitant step forwards. "If you're looking for Skyla, she just left a moment ago. She had some emergency down at the airport."

"Oh," Christa said, a bit unnerved that he had known exactly what she had been about to ask.

"You two must be trainers. I'm Alder," he said, extending a hand.

"Christa," Delaney said with a small smile, unlooping her arm from Sawyer's and shaking his hand.

"Sawyer Hale, sir. Pleasure to meet you," the auburn haired boy said quite seriously, shaking Alder's hand in an oddly formal fashion.

"Are you a trainer as well?" Delaney asked.

"You're kidding me, right?" Sawyer whispered in her ear. "Don't you know-" Delaney didn't allow him to finish what he was saying, though. She wanted to hear what this man had to say. He intrigued her.

"You could say that," he said with a slight smile. Sawyer guffawed in disbelief. Alder's smile faded quickly and he grew quiet. "My old pal is here… My braviary," he said as he spoke again. Delaney didn't know what a braviary was, but she did understand the pain of losing a pokemon. "I got him as a rufflet when I was young, and we traveled all over, challenged everybody!" A smile returned to his face, though it was brief. "We were always getting into trouble, but it was never serious- just the stuff that young boys always get into, and Braviary was always stepping in to save the day. But one day, there was an accident, a bad accident… And that's why he's here now." _And it's my fault._ He didn't say it, but he was thinking it. For a moment, he looked utterly and completely lost… But then it was gone. He turned his focus to Delaney. "Were you only here to see Skyla, or did you come to pay your respects as well?"

Delaney's thoughts wandered back to Marvel downstairs. "My togekiss," she said quietly. "He's downstairs."

Sawyer's eyes instantly grew wide, and he looked at Delaney for a moment like she was a stranger. This time, though, she didn't have to elbow him to be quiet. He was listening intently to the conversation playing out in front of him.

Alder's face, too, twisted in confusion. "You said your name was Christa," he said. It was a statement, not a question. Delaney nodded her head nervously. "The only togekiss in this tower is the one that belonged to Delaney Caldwell, the girl who brought down Team Galactic." Delaney froze, her own eyes widening and her mouth dropping open.

She took a deep breath and tried to retain some of her dignity. "You must be mistaken, sir," she said, her mouth drawing into a tight line.

"You see, the thing is, I'm not," he said, examining the girl in front of him closely. "All of the pokemon from foreign regions brought here have to go through special permission- has to be signed off by the champion. There's gotta be a special reason for a foreign pokemon to come here. Otherwise we don't have enough room for the pokemon from our region."

"Well, obviously the champion gave the approval for my togekiss to be here then," she said, raising her eyebrows. How was he to know what the champion did and did not approve?

"Christa, he-" Sawyer started, but Alder didn't let him finish.

"The champion has approved only one spot for a togekiss in this tower in the last ten years," he said firmly. "I know that because that's me. I'm the one who signed off on the approval."

Him… He was the Champion? And she was busted, and it was her own fault- she should've listened to Sawyer. Alder had caught her in her slip. Alder chuckled. "Delaney Caldwell in person- didn't think I'd be seeing that today."

"What?" Sawyer gasped, gaping at the girl he was currently keeping standing. "This is a joke, right?"

"Please don't tell anybody," she said desperately, ignoring Sawyer for the moment. He could be reckoned with later. Alder wasn't focused on him either. Instead, he stood staring at her like she was some sort of alien. "Nobody can know I'm here. Team Galactic is looking for me. They've already raided my father's house back in Sinnoh."

"Your secret is safe with me," Alder said, offering Delaney a small smile. "And it's an honor to meet you, Miss Caldwell."

"No, it's not," she said, dropping her eyes. "It's an honor to meet _you,_ Champion Alder. I'm just a sixteen year old girl. There's nothing special about me."

"Arceus!" Sawyer said, staring at his brunette companion in disbelief.

Alder chuckled. "It takes somebody special to do what you did, Delaney. Not everyone could have done it."

It felt so incredibly bizarre to have somebody that wasn't her father or Dax call her Delaney again. In fact, it felt almost wrong to respond to it. Her father had told her that no matter what, she was still Delaney. Even Lydia had told her that she was still Delaney. Delaney herself was having a hard time finding it in her to be Delaney though. It was beginning to seem more and more like Delaney was just a girl on a flyer.

This wasn't the time to purge her guilt, though. "Thank you," she said simply. What else could she have said?

"You said Team Galactic raided your home in Sinnoh?" Alder asked. Delaney nodded. It felt just as surreal to speak of Sinnoh as it did to be called Delaney. "They've taken over the entire east side of Sinnoh, you know. Anything east of Jubilife has Team Galactic presence."

The brunette girl stiffened unconsciously, gripping Sawyer's arm that she was holding on to. Why was he telling her this? It wasn't her problem anymore. It _couldn't_ be here problem anymore. That was why she was here, wasn't it?

It was futile to ask even, but Delaney had to do it. "What about the gym leaders and the Elite Four?"

"Cynthia has been traveling from here, to Hoenn and back to Sinnoh again searching for answers, but she's not getting any," Alder said. "Any gym leader that isn't Byron or Candice is shut inside their city. It's not safe to walk the streets anywhere right now."

"But they could be planning something! They can revolt. They're gym leaders!" Delaney snapped, feeling very resentful all of the sudden.

"Which is pretty meaningless up against all of the Team Galactic members stationed in each city," Alder said gently. "They've grown considerably since Cyrus has been out of prison."

"If a sixteen year old girl can battle against them, then a fucking gym leader should be able to as well." She was being stubborn, yes, but the gym leader involvement in Sinnoh had always been a sore spot for her.

Alder cleared his throat nervously and then glanced at his watch. "I need to be getting to Driftveil," he said. "Clay and I have a meeting first thing in the morning. Skyla was kind enough to let me borrow one of her pokemon..." With that, he released a large, graceful white bird. "It was a pleasure meeting you both. I hope our paths cross again." And without even giving Sawyer or Delaney a chance to respond, he left, the magnificent white bird disappearing into the glittering black.

There was no awkward quiet this time. Sawyer was quick to speak the moment Alder left. "So please explain how you hide something like, oh, I don't know, saving the world and being Delaney Caldwell."

Delaney's cheeks flushed. "How do you not hide it, Sawyer? That's the whole reason why I'm here- to hide. Team Galactic is looking for me. Apparently they now have Team Plasma looking for me too. Delaney Caldwell can't exist here. Christa White had to take her place."

"But… But…" And now, he was at a loss for words- a true Sawyer first. "Just… Wow. I can't believe Delaney Caldwell has been standing here digging her nails into my arm for the last ten minutes."

Delaney pulled away from Sawyer automatically and turned even more red upon seeing the nail marks she had left on his arm. "Yeah… Sorry… I guess I just get a little angry."

"A little angry?" Sawyer said, raising his eyebrows. "You dropped the f-bomb in front of Champion Alder. I'd say a little angry doesn't really cover it, Christa… Or should I call you Delaney now?"

"No," she said quickly. "Please, keep calling me Christa."

"Can I ask why you get so mad though?" he asked. "Or is that something else you have to hide?"

"No," she said, suddenly feeling guilty. She hadn't realized until then that she was virtually lying to everyone she met- even people she was now being to think of as her friends, like Sawyer. She took a deep breath. "I get angry where the gym leaders are concerned because they never did anything to try to stop Team Galactic. You guys are really lucky here- the gym leaders seem to really think they're the leaders of each city, and they make you all a priority." She thought briefly of Burgh, chasing down Team Plasma for stealing Bianca's pokemon, and Elesa, who took so much pride in being a gym leader. "In Sinnoh, they did virtually nothing. It was all on me. To some extent, it was my fault, but it got out of hand. I never wanted to be anybody's hero."

As Sawyer looked at her quizzically, she thought of the very beginning of her journey, and the very first time she saw Team Galactic. She had been so young and stupid then, passing through Jubilife on her way to Floarama. A couple of grunts had been harassing an old man and the young boy that was with him. Delaney had recognized him instantly- Professor Rowan was quite renowned, and her father was a fan of his. For her, defeating Team Galactic at that moment hadn't been about being good and saving somebody. It had been a selfish desire to impress the professor, and flirting with his cute assistant was just an added bonus.

They were in Floarama as well, but Delaney had intended to ignore them then. She had been on her way to Eterna when a little girl said her father was in trouble at the Valley Windworks. Despite the fact that it wasn't her problem though, the little girl tugged on her heartstrings- it terrified Delaney to think of her father in the same situation, so she made her way to the Valley Windworks and battled Cassy (or as Delaney knew her back then, Commander Mars) for the very first time.

But even in Eterna, she hadn't been able to escape them. They had an official "Galactic building" there. Not that Delaney cared, of course- _they weren't her problem_. She had gotten her gym badge and she was going to head off to the east to battle Fantina, but then she had heard Dax bragging about going to defeat Team Galactic. As it was then, it was an understatement to say that Delaney and Dax weren't friends- actually, she couldn't stand Dax. He was a rival, of sorts, and upon hearing of his grand plans, she decided to thwart them before he could get to them.

She had never wanted to be a hero.

"That must have been tough," Sawyer said softly. He sat down on one of the steps leading up to the bell and looked up at the sky. Delaney sat down next to him. She shivered a bit- it was starting to get a bit chilly. "Your togekiss… It died in battle with Team Galactic?"

"Against Cyrus," Delaney said. Just saying his name made her insides twist. "I just wish I could've trained harder or… Or something. Arceus, I just let Marvel down."

This time, Sawyer grabbed Delaney's arm. "You did not. Not at all. There's nothing else you could've done. Cyrus is a maniac. All of Team Galactic- they're crazy. Team Plasma is no better." Delaney cringed a bit, thinking of Alex. Sawyer, too, cringed, but for completely different reasons. "And now you're battling Team Plasma," he said slowly. "You really are a magnet for trouble, aren't you?"

Delaney nodded. "I wasn't trying to be a hero there either," she said with a grimace. "I just kept getting dragged into things. Now I guess it's going to be the same kind of deal… But I think there's something different with Team Plasma, something really wrong."

"Well, of course there is," Sawyer said with a disbelieving look. "This N dude is part of Team Plasma, right? He thinks he's a king! He's crazy."

"Somehow…" Delaney began slowly. "I know N is supposed to be the leader, but I don't think he's in charge, if that makes any sense. I just have a really bad feeling that N is just, well… Not crazy, but…"

"I know what you mean," Sawyer said, patting her arm. "I guess time will tell." He grew quiet for a moment, his eyes moving to the starry sky. For once, the silence between the two was comfortable. "You know, when you were down there crying, I figured maybe you had family in Sinnoh or something and that maybe being down there by the grave just triggered something. It's really hard to believe that I met a random girl on the side of the road and she turned out to be, well, you."

"I'm sorry I had to lie to you," Delaney said, grimacing. "If it helps, I don't feel much like Delaney Caldwell these days anyways… But in some ways, that's kind of a good thing."

"I imagine," Sawyer said dryly. "You poor thing. Is there anything good about being Delaney Caldwell?"

Delaney kept her head on Sawyer's shoulder and her eyes glued to the stars as she pondered the question. "Well, some of the people I meet that help me out when I inevitably get into trouble are pretty cool," she said jokingly. "And apparently some people think I did something really great and they're grateful and junk."

"There's no thinking about it. You did something really great," Sawyer protested. Delaney grew quiet. She didn't want to argue about it. Nobody could possibly understand all of the feelings associated with the end of the Team Galactic debacle. Besides, Sawyer was the closest friend she had in Unova (the fact that he reminded her of Dax was not a coincidence, she was sure) and if he knew what had really gone on, he probably wouldn't want to be around her. It was amazing that he did knowing that she had lied to him up until now.

It was the perfect night- peaceful, serene even. No wonder this place was the "heavenly" tower. There was something about sitting and staring at the stars that made your problems seem so much smaller, even when they were at the very forefront of your mind. Delaney took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt light and relieved for the first time since arriving in Unova. This newfound optimism didn't stop the mothims of anxiety that had suddenly been released in her stomach, though. She couldn't help but feel like something was about to go terribly wrong.

_There was only one person who could possibly be knocking on the door, especially with as much force. Delaney made no motion to get up from where she sat on the bed, crosslegged and brushing her hair. Usually, she would have her pokemon out to keep her company, but right now, she needed to be alone. It was the only way she was going to get those brutal images out of her head._

_But still, he kept knocking. He wasn't going to leave without speaking to her. Delaney sighed and finally got up. She unlocked the door and turned the knob. The door flung open and before Delaney could even process a thought, his arms were around her. Delaney didn't hug back. She couldn't. Not after what had happened that day._

_The door closed behind him as he buried his head in her shoulder, his face in her blonde hair. He was waiting for her to say something, he could tell, but Delaney couldn't think of one thing to say. Not one._

_"You're upset still," he said after a few moments, taking a few steps back. "I understand that. I am too. I never thought it would come to this, Del, I swear."_

_"Please stop spouting clichés at me, Alex," she said with a sigh. She flopped down on the twin mattress. "I don't want to hear them. There's just too much else on my mind."_

_"That's it, though, Delly!" he said, his blue eyes shining. He looked more excited than she had ever seen him before. "All of this, it's going to be over soon!"_

_Delaney laughed bitterly. "What gives you that idea?"_

_"You're so close to beating Cyrus, Del!" he insisted. "And when you do, this whole mess will be over! I can get out of Team Galactic and we won't have to worry about any of this shit anymore!" He was beginning to pace excitedly. "I can tell you everything he has planned. I can help you with this. This is all going to pass soon!"_

_She bit her lip and continued to half-heartedly listen to him chatter, but in all seriousness, Delaney knew that Alex was really pulling at straws. Sure, if she did beat Cyrus, Team Galactic would no longer be a threat- because they would all be in prison. What was Alex imagining? Cyrus losing with grace and dignity and disbanding all of Team Galactic after seeing the error of his ways?_

_Not a chance in hell._

_Cyrus was going to go down fighting, that was for sure. It was unlikely that as his second-in-command, Alex would escape punishment when caught by authorities. His talk of ending all of the Galactic madness and having a normal relationship was truly lovely, but it wasn't going to happen. If she was to bring about the downfall of Team Galactic, she was going to also be bringing about the downfall of Alex- no doubt about it._

_He sat down next to her on the bed, his eyes sparkling. "What do you say, Del? I know you can do it. You can do it for us." And as he kissed her, her first thought was that now one more person was counting on her to beat Team Galactic._

_Her second was that this was _probably_ going to be the last time._

* * *

><p>"What are you thinking about?" Sawyer muttered, clearly trying hard not to fall asleep, even though Delaney herself had crashed.<p>

"Nothing," she said groggily, keeping her eyes shut. She couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud yet. She couldn't talk about Alex. She couldn't talk about Team Galactic and what she had almost done.

That was for another night.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (214/12): **Soooo some pretty big revisions have been made to this chapter. I didn't want to leave all of them until my big revision fest, so I went back and made them now. A big thanks to **Tanon** to pointing out some big big gaps in the original chapter. Another big thank you to **Noteleks**, my beta, who is always absolutely wonderful.

I'm not going to get into details, but just know that I'm going through some stuff this week, so it may be a bit longer than a week before you get an update, and for that, I'll apologize now, as well as thank you in advance for your patience.

Thank you always for your support. I know by this point I probably sound like a broken record, but I really do appreciate just even sitting and taking the time to read this story. Reviews are always extremely appreciated, especially constructive criticism, but when it comes down to it, it's just nice to know that people are reading. It really does make my day.

See you next week! (:


	18. 18: Away We Go

**Chapter 18: Away We Go**

There is really nothing in your life that can prepare you for being shot out of a cannon. Nothing.

It took all Delaney had to not shriek as she flew through the air and then landed less than gracefully on the platform. Too much pressure was put on her right leg as she tried to steady herself and she cringed. So far, this gym challenge was going less than stellar, and she had only battled a handful of trainers thus far.

She was lucky that she was even getting to battle, though, considering she still wasn't feeling the greatest. The airport emergency that Skyla had been dealing with when Delaney met Alder on top of the Celestial Tower had closed the gym down for three days. Since the gym had reopened, Delaney and Sawyer had been back every day to try to convince those in the reception area that Delaney was well enough for battle, but for another five days, she was turned back without even being allowed to sign a waiver. Today, though, Delaney had struck gold. She had signed the waiver, been given a helmet and stared quizzically at the receptionist before finally being sent off to battle Skyla.

Today would've been a good day for Sawyer's help, but in typical Delaney fashion, she had brushed him off that morning, claiming that she was _"absolutely fine to go to the gym on my own and Sawyer, why don't you go visit your sister like you've been meaning to? Isn't that the reason you came?" _Now, twenty minutes after walking through the door of the Mistralton Gym, she was regretting her words.

After a moment or two, she gained her composure back and strode (albeit slowly) to the other side of the platform, where a young man was bent down, talking to what Delaney now knew was a tranquill, the second-form evolution of pidove. An aviator hat covered his hair. Delaney stood there quietly, waiting for him to finish up, leaning against the railing of the platform for support.

The metal railing creaked loudly as Delaney leaned back on it and the boy looked immediately at her, his indigo eyes widening. He struck Delaney as familiar and the brunette girl stood there, still silent, trying to remember why he looked familiar.

It took him less time to place Delaney than it did for her to place him. She always had been rather awful at remembering faces. "You're the girl from the forest," he said, standing up and straightening his aviator cap. "The one who was fighting Team Plasma."

Realization hit Delaney. "You're the boy with the pidove that helped us look for them!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes lighting up. She paused, trying to put a name to the face. "Aero, right?"

The levelheaded boy nodded. "I didn't know you were a gym trainer," Delaney said, thinking back to their last meeting. She had run into him while running from Cheren and Team Plasma (she cringed, thinking of her incredibly stupid actions of that day). She probably hadn't made the greatest first impression ever. Arceus, what a hot mess.

"I'm pretty new at it," he said quietly. With that, he turned to the tranquill that he had been talking to previously. "Are you ready?"

Delaney grabbed a pokeball off of her belt. "Absolutely," she said with a grin. "Tynamo, this would be a good place for you to get some training in. Let's try it out!" The brunette threw the pokeball onto the platform and with a flash of white light, the small electric eel was released. She squealed and looked up at Tranquill with her large black eyes. "Let's start this out with a thunder wave. Paralyze that bird!"

"Detect!" called out Aero with a surprising amount of fervor in his voice. He was speaking far more loudly than Delaney had ever heard him speak before. "Block the attack!"

Thanks to the detect, the thunder wave rolled right on past the bird, its usual accuracy meaning nothing. Delaney bit her lip. Tynamo looked up at her trainer, clearly worried that she was going to be angry that the attack had missed. "It's okay, we can't hit them every time!" Delaney said with an encouraging smile to show she wasn't angry at all. "Let's try and use spark!"

Tynamo, eager to please, let out a strong volt of electricity before Aero could utter a single command. The jolt of lightning hit the much larger bird dead-on and Tranquill froze, obviously very affected by the attack. The electric shock had intended to cause damage, as opposed to just stopping the bird in its tracks, but the effects of the spark were apparently even greater than Delaney had intended.

The attacking status of the tranquill, though, was less questionable than Delaney originally thought. "Air slash!" Aero called and even though the bird had been paralyzed to some degree, its wings began to glow light blue. It appeared that it truly took some effort to flap them, but Tranquill managed to, and with that, white glowing balls of energy that appeared to be almost disc-like cut through the air at a speed so quick, it was impossible for Delaney to order a counter attack before they hit Tynamo. They cut the electric eel and she squealed in discomfort, but despite that, she was okay and still raring to fight.

"Charge beam!" Delaney retorted. The beam of light itself wasn't strong, but seeing as how injured Tranquill was already, it was enough to make the bird tumble over. He didn't get up.

Within seconds, Aero was by the bird's side, reassuring the tranquill that it had done a great job and calling the bird back into it's pokeball, allowing it to begin resting up. With Tranquill's pokeball firmly back in place on his belt, Aero released another pokémon out onto the platform. The small bird released was one that Delaney had never seen before. His white face could best be described as fluffy, though a blue spot surrounded his black eyes and beak. The rest of his body was a grayish blue, leading up to his talons, which looked sharper than most other small bird pokémon that Delaney had been privy to seeing. Sticking out from his head was a single red and white feather. A curious Delaney took out her pokedex, despite the fact that it was still recovering from the Chargestone Cave incident (no surprise there, seeing as how Delaney was as well). It managed to tell her that the pokémon was a rufflet and rufflets are always male before beginning to sputter again.

This didn't help her much, seeing as how she had no idea what to expect from the small bird. She had learned from her time as a trainer that flying-types could be sometimes be really brutal (like Dax's Staraptor) or really simple (like the chatot that one of the old men who often hung out on route 212 used). She had no idea which category this bird fell under, though judging by the size of its talons, it was far more likely to fall into the first group.

"Hone claws!" ordered Aero. Delaney's eyes widened as the rufflet began to sharpen his claws, getting ready to strike out at Tynamo. Definitely the first group.

"Let's try another charge beam, Tynamo!" Delaney yelled cheerfully, though she was most definitely a bit worried about this unknown bird. Tynamo glowed and little sparks of electricity flickered off her little white body and released the electricity in a bright beam of lightening. The rufflet squawked loudly as the beam hit the little ball of feathers. It was quickly apparent that the bird had quite the temper.

"Rufflet, slash!" The bird shot at Tynamo in an awkward hop-skip run that was oddly effective.

"Use spark when it gets close!" Tynamo looked back at Delaney, worried. This was by far the toughest opponent she had ever had to face in the short time that Delaney had been her trainer, but Delaney had confidence that the small eel-like pokémon could do the job. She was far tougher than she looked.

The large and very sharp talons of the bird raked into Tynamo, but she gamely released a burst of electricity as she wacked the rufflet upside the head with her tail, a slightly indignant look coming across her small features. Her small black eyes narrowed. Delaney couldn't help but chuckle at the instinctive retaliation. Feathers flew into the air as the little bird jumped back. He staggered around, dizzy from the second shock. His wings hung limply at its sides, probably from paralysis.

"Pull yourself back together, Rufflet. Fury attack!" Aero called, a look of concern spreading across his face. Apparently, the fierce pokémon had just been waiting for those words and an opportunity to go all out. The rufflet screeched a war cry and leapt back at Tynamo, pecking furiously at her defenseless white body.

"Tynamo, use spark again! Get him away from you!" Delaney hopped forward, anticipation and anxiety controlling her movements rather than logic. Her leg groaned under her and Delaney nearly fell forward from the pain that followed her movement. She grabbed the railing behind her to support her, just as Tynamo let loose with another _crack!_ of lightning.

Despite the fierce onslaught of the rufflet's beak and claws and the painful wounds she had already sustained, Tynamo managed one more burst of electricity that arced of the white body and blew back the rufflet. The rufflet tried to go back to Tynamo to finish the job, but fell down, squawking furiously what was probably a stream of pokemon curses and insults before being recalled its pokéball.

Aero and Delaney both left their spots on the battlefield immediately to aid their fallen commarades. Tynamo was still conscious, but barely. Cuts from Rufflet's sharp talons covered a lot of her small body and she was weak from letting off so many bursts of electricity in a short period of time, but somehow, she had been able to make it through both Tranquill and Rufflet. "You did so great," Delaney said with a smile as she grabbed Tynamo's pokeball to let the small eel-like pokémon take a well-deserved rest.

It took Delaney a moment to get back to standing, but when she did, she was greeted by an extended hand. Delaney shook Aero's hand with a smile. "That was a pretty great battle," she said.

Aero had calmed down since the battle and returned to being just as quiet and thoughtful as he had when Delaney had arrived on his platform. "The next trainer you have to battle is Skyla. Good luck."

If the battle with Aero was any indication, she would need that luck. Delaney stepped into the cannon with a grimace and shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the ground below her as she went flying through the air. Within a few moments, the cannon sent her hurtling through the air. She landed ungracefully right in front of a pair of light blue boots.

Delaney got up from the heap she had landed in on the floor slowly as her leg throbbed. She winced as she finally got herself back up to two feet and looked in the friendly bright blue eyes of what had to be Skyla, the Mistralton gym leader.

"So you must be the little spitfire with the busted leg that's been trying to get in to battle me all week!" Skyla said with a smile, extending a hand to Delaney to shake. "I'm Skyla, the leader of Mistralton's gym! I use flying-type pokémon. How'd you like flying with the help of my awesome cannons?"

Delaney had to chuckle a bit at Skyla's obvious enthusiasm. "I think I might just prefer staying on the ground," the brunette said. "I'm Christa, by the way. Very nice to meet you."

"Well, Christa, let's see what you've got!" she said, grabbing a poke'ball off her belt. "Swoobat, go on out!"

In appearance, Swoobat, with its heart-shaped snout and ruffled collar, looked very little like the sharp-fanged pests that flooded Sinnoh that irked Delaney so. Skyla's swoobat looked rather happy even, with a doofy, uneven smile and a cheerful disposition. Despite the differences though, Delaney felt the immediate need to get rid of the swoobat the second it had been sent out. Delaney called out Perry and she could immediately tell that he could not agree more. Of course, their reasons were vastly different- Perry knew this was an important battle and wanted to rid himself of his opponent, while Delaney had a particular dislike of all flying bat-like pokémon, thanks to a certain blue-haired Team Galactic leader.

The two pokémon locked eyes with each other, sizing the other up. Perry settled into a fighter's stance, paws at ready over his scalchops waiting for the first command to be said. Delaney had to chuckle at his determination, though she wasn't ready yet for another run-in with the scalchops. "Perry, water pulse!"

"Swoobat, Acrobatics!" the red-haired gym leader commanded.

Perry managed to let loose the powerful burst of water before the swoobat could use acrobatics, but it didn't phase the pokémon in the least. The water merely forced it to pause for a moment. The swoobat then wheeled in a circle about Perry's head, taunting it for a moment before diving and hitting Perry like lightening. The constant flurry of attacks frustrated the otter. He pulled out his shells and the glowed yellow. Using them as shield, he managed to block several of the attacks. The scalchop that hung at his right side was still rather frail, but it had grown back enough over the last week to where it was now usable.

It was obvious that water alone wasn't going to do the job and bring down the swoobat, so Delaney forced herself to forget about her hesitation at ordering attacks involving Perry's scalchops."Use Razor shell!" the brunette trainer commanded. With the shells already in hand, the attack was viciously fast. Only the blue streaks left in air forming an X was proof that Perry had even moved. The swoobat flopped gamely in the air.

"Swoobat, charm that dewott and then hit as hard as you can!" Her swoobat fluttered its eyelashes at Perry, who stared at it with confusion. The sudden change in its behavior caught him off guard for the vicious headbutt the swoobat dealt him after. Perry flinched but stayed standing, the glint of determination never leaving his eyes.

"Use Aqua jet, finish that swoobat off!" Delaney called, though Perry seemed hesitant to use his hard-hitting attacks against the swoobat after the charm attack.

The swoobat backed off as blue energy focused in around Perry's body. Shortly, the blue energy faded and swirling water surrounded him. Perry forgot quickly about his hesitation to strike hard. His fierce determination returned as soon as the otter pokémon realized how close they were to winning. Seeing the swoobat try to escape, Perry leapt in front of it, blocking its path before launching himself like a rocket. The two pokémon collided with a smash. Perry had propelled himself hard enough that the two flew down the runway before hitting the hard pavement. The water splashed down with Perry, who jumped up spryly despite the rough landing. The swoobat, however, was not so lucky. One of its leathery wings sported a tear and hung at its side.

Both trainers were shocked at the state of wear-and-tear on the swoobat and Skyla recalled it quickly. "It's okay, sweetheart, you did great!" Skyla said with a big smile as Swoobat went back into her poke'ball.

"Is she okay?" Delaney asked worriedly. "The tear on her wing looked pretty bad."

"She's a trooper," Skyla said reassuringly. "It's nothing that they can't fix at the Pokemon Center. They've definitely dealt with worse than a torn wing!" Confidence unshaken, Skyla reached for another poke'ball. "Just wait until you see my next pokémon though! She's quite a doozy!" The red-haired gym leader hit the release button on the ball. A large gray and brown bird emerged with a sharp-looking yellow beak. It looked like it was another evolution of pidove and tranquill, though Delaney wasn't for sure on that. She didn't want to push her pokedex and bring it out to check, though, seeing as how it was sputtering trying to identify the rufflet Aero had used earlier. Seeing Delaney's slightly confused look, Skyla smile kindly. "It's an unfezant- evolution of tranquill," she said. "You're not from Unova, are you?"

Delaney shook her head. "No. Thanks for that. My pokedex has been acting weird ever since I was in Chargestone Cave."

"It's no problem. Wouldn't want to win because of an unfair advantage, after all!" she said with a wink. "Now, Unfezant, air slash!" The large fowl rose into the sky. Perry glared at it from the ground, a silent challenge. The wings of the bird radiated with a strange energy.

Delaney was surprised at how quickly Skyla transitioned back into battle. "Perry, use razor shell!" Perry grabbed his scalchops, they glowed blue and the aura of energy around them extended and hardened into a physical blade. Perry leapt into the air as far as he could as the unfezant shot disk-like blades of raw energy from its wings. Perry blocked some but was hit by most of them. Disregarding the wounds he was taking, he slashed his blades at the bird. It squawked in pain and sent a final, lightning slash at Perry that sent him back down the pavement. He managed to flip around and land on all fours, reducing the damage he could have sustained from it. He snarled at the unfezant that landed on the other side of the field.

"Unfezant, use razor wind! We'll finish the dewott off!" Skyla was no longer laughing or winking- she was all business now.

"Not a chance!" Delaney said with a grin. "Perry, use razor shell again!"

Overhead, a strong wind whirled into a gale-force. Perry bounded forward into the eye of the whirlwind and lashed out with his shells. The unfezant shrieked angrily, but didn't falter.

"Quick, use aqua jet!" Delaney called.

"Hit the otter now!"

Neither trainer could see how the battle went through the wind and the water from Perry's attack that spiraled out. Both trainers were soaked from the effects. Delaney had to wipe droplets of water from out of her eyes before she could try to determine what had happened. When they finally wiped the water from their vision, it was clear to both that Perry was the one standing victorious over the sodden feathered form.

"You did it!" Delaney shrieked happily, splashing through the battlefield to embrace her pokémon. As her arms wrapped around the dewott, she felt him grow warm as a white-hot energy enveloped him. Delaney stood back, eyes widening, as she watched the dewott's limbs grow longer. His entire body turned a darker shade of blue, more like the ocean than the sky, and a hard, goldish-beige armor covered his joints and head, forming what seemed like a horn right in the center of his forehead. His small, stubby white whiskers grew longer as well, becoming rather bushy and long. His tail, once plank-shaped, was now fin-like.

When the glow subsided, a large, formidable sea lion type pokémon stood proudly before her. Delaney looked at him incredulously. "Wow, Perry," she said with admiration. It was hard to believe that the small otter pokémon that she had received in the mail so long ago was now this incredible beast standing in front of her.

"Oh, yowza, that's awesome!" Skyla cheered. "I've never seen that pokémon before. What is it?"

"I have no idea," Delaney said with a shrug. "But I'll find out soon, I guess." She smiled proudly at Perry. "I think it's time for you to take a nice rest, though, Perry. You've definitely had an exciting… couple of hours." And with that, Delaney recalled Perry, allowing him to take a nice long rest until they got back to the Pokemon Center. Maybe the nurse on duty would know what his new form was called…

Until then, though, it was time to focus on winning this battle. Skyla had released her pokémon as Delaney had taken her dear sweet time recalling Perry. A majestic white bird now stood in the arena, which was still covered with puddles, as well as a few tawny feathers. She stood proudly in the middle of it all, dark webbed feet partially covered by a small puddle, her long neck extended towards Delaney, waiting for an opponent.

Delaney flushed slightly, as she hadn't realized that she had taken so long to call back Perry. She fumbled around her belt of poke'balls until she found the one she was looking for. With a flash of white light, Synapse bounded cheerfully onto the battlefield. She was still clearly getting used to her slightly bigger size after evolving during a battle with one of the junior trainers earlier in the day, but she was more than happy to battle. _"Yippee! Is this the gym leader battle, Delaney?"_

Delaney nodded with a smile at Synapse, not really ready to have full out conversations out loud in front of other people, lest they think she was crazy. "Let's do this, Syn!"

"Swanna, summon the rain!" Swanna's eyes glowed blue and clouds formed in the sky. First it started sprinkling quickly followed by a harsh downpour. Water drops slid down Synapse's green plasma body.

"Synapse, use hidden power," the brunette trainer commanded. A bright gray aura glowed and hardened into a metallic nature around the green body of the duosion as she tackled the swanna. The white bird slipped in the pooling water and let out a panicked cry, hitting Synapse in a fluke swing of her wing.

"Swanna, bubblebeam while it's close!" Skyla called. The sensation of Swanna's wing hitting her newly bigger body had thrown Synapse off for just long enough for the swanna to really do some damage. Powered up by the pouring rain, the swanna released a powerful jet of bubbles at Synapse. Each bubble hitting the plasma and forcing her further back.

"Use future sight, Synapse!" Delaney called with a grimace, noting how the bubblebeam had done more damage to Synapse than she would have liked. Synapse focused her psychic energy and channeled it into a bolt as she foresaw the move that would be used later.

"Swanna, air slash!" Skyla called, a confident grin spreading across her face.

Synapse couldn't do any more than cower back as the strong swanna threw disk after disk of concentrated air. "Now, aerial ace!" Synapse tried to keep up with the flash of white, but the swanna was like lightning. Suddenly, the talons on the swanna's webbed feet raked through her soft body from behind.

"Use psyshock!" Delaney was definitely feeling a bit of desperation now. The swanna was a lot stronger than Delaney had originally thought. Three orbs of psychic power gathered around her. She fired them rapidly at the swanna. Staggered, the swanna shook its head to shake the mild confusion that typically followed any psychic attack.

"Swanna, that duosion is weak. Use bubblebeam again!"

"Synapse, get out of there!" And also, for future reference for Delaney, Synapse's new form was a duosion. At least Skyla knew what _that_ was.

Swanna released the powerful beam of bubbles, but missed as Synapse disappeared, behind the swanna's back and far away. The black eyes of the duosion glowed blue with energy and a massive orb of psychic energy gathered in the rain clouds above the swanna. Before Skyla could call out another command, the orb struck the swanna in the form a terrifyingly powerful lightning bolt. The two trainers shielded their eyes from the bright flash. The swanna was down, the white feathers strewn on the ground with the tawny ones of Unfezant.

It took Delaney a moment to realize that Synapse had overpowered the terrifying bird, but when she did, she let out a yelp of glee. She bounded over to Synapse just as she had ran to Perry earlier and wrapped her arms around the green ball of plasma. "Oh Syn, you really were great! You did it! You won!"

"_I beat a gym leader's pokémon!" _ Synapse boasted proudly, though the psychic pokemon's voice was soon overpowered by Skyla's.

"Wow," Skyla said with a large grin. "I definitely don't mind losing when it's to trainers like you!" She extended her hand to shake Delaney's. The brunette trainer hadn't realized that there was anything in Skyla's hand when she shook it originally, but after the handshake ended, she found herself holding a small gold and turquoise feather pendant. "That's the Jet Badge. Now everyone will know you won at the Mistralton gym. Wear that badge with pride," she said with a wink.

"Thank you so much," Delaney said with a wide smile on her face, though it soon turned to a grimace once she realized that the only way out was a final cannon ride. The brunette sighed and put back on her helmet, though she could hear Skyla laugh at her reaction. Delaney shut her eyes tightly as she climbed into the cannon and waited to be shot into the sky.

Though really, nothing prepares you for being shot out of a cannon. Nothing.

* * *

><p>According to the nurse on duty at the Pokemon Center, who introduced herself as Esther, Perry's new form was called samurott, and he had not gained another type upon evolution, despite looking like he could be part fighting-type. Esther also looked at Delaney's pokedex for her and though she couldn't fix it (claiming that Delaney should talk to one of the Junipers), she did get it to stop shocking her whenever she turned it on, which was definitely a plus. The minus was that it still sputtered and wouldn't give her complete information on any pokémon, which sucked considering she wasn't very knowledgeable at all about the pokémon of Unova.<p>

The brunette was forced to start for Twist Mountain without Sawyer, as she had no idea where his sister lived and she didn't want to wait around. She had biked up to Twist Mountain with Sawyer earlier that week so that she knew the route to take when she wanted to leave. She had also been warned that the weather near Twist Mountain was extremely erratic, and it was best for her to take some winter clothes.

Eager to not have a repeat of the Cold Storage incident, Delaney changed into a pair of black jeans and put a pink hooded sweatshirt on over her white tank top. She placed her pokeballs into her bag so that her belt wouldn't dig into her waist while she was biking and threw her hair into a sloppy ponytail so it wouldn't be in her eyes. With all preparations possible taken care of, Delaney hopped on her bicycle and rode off towards the east.

Except of course, the trip was a bit harder than she remembered it, but then again, she hadn't been shot out of cannons all day the day that she had gone with Sawyer. It had also been fun just to have a buddy to ride with, and without Sawyer's sarcasm and quirky jokes, the world just seemed too quiet. No trainers stopped her, as she had battled and defeated all of them over the course of the last week to prepare for battling Skyla.

With as fast as she was peddling, though, she made it to Twist Mountain in no time. Delaney climbed off of her bike, trying to catch her breath as she stood in front of Twist Mountain, trying to take in its vast size. It definitely wasn't going to be easy to find her way to the other side, though it would be worth it- on the other side, after all, was Icirrus City, according to her map, and Icirrus City was where her next gym badge was.

"Hey Christa!" Delaney turned around , still panting, to see a short redhaired boy running towards her with a pokemon she didn't recognize hovering above him. It was the boy from Nimbasa City- Nicolai. He, too, was panting when he reached Delaney, though he had a smile on his face. His pokémon was smiling as well.

"Hey Nicolai!" she said, looking down at him.

"I'm really glad I caught up with you! Reno and I were out here training to battle Skyla tomorrow when I saw you ride by on your bike. I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me out with Team Plasma," he said, his blue eyes shining.

"Oh, no problem, Nicolai!" Delaney said, a bit touched that he was so grateful. "Is this Reno?" she said, nodding towards the pokémon that was now hovering by his right shoulder.

"Yeah! My brother Josh gave me him as an egg before he left on his journey and he hatched into a litwick, but he evolved when we were in Chargestone Cave!"

"I caught a litwick in the tower," Delaney said with a smile. "What's this evolution called?"

"This is a lampent," the redhaired boy informed her. "Hopefully soon, I'll get a dusk stone, and then Reno will evolve into a chandelure! They're really powerful. Shauntal in the Elite Four has one and everyone says it's really tough to beat!"

Before Delaney could respond, a booming voice calling "Well, if it isn't Christa White!" came from the entrance to Twist Mountain. Clay stood there gazing down at Delaney and Nicolai, his excadrill standing at his side. The two bounded down the stairs to meet up with the two young trainers. Clay eagerly stood in front of them, clearly with news to tell, and Excadrill stood at his side, preening his claws as if he needed to remind both Delaney and Nicolai how tough he was.

"I was hopin' to run into ya!" Clay said. "And hello to you too! How's that petilil of yours?"

"Good, sir!" Nicolai said politely. "I think she might evolve soon."

"You'll have a mighty tough lilligant on your hands there, boy," Clay said with a chuckle. "She took down my krokorock pretty quick-like!" Realizing that he was getting off topic, Clay cleared his throat. "Anyways, what I was meaning to tell ya, Christa, is that Excadrill and I saw some mighty suspicious lookin' characters in there. Be careful. You should be fine, though. You beat Skyla, right?"

"Yes, sir," she said, adopting Nicolai's formal tone. "Just today, actually."

"I knew you would," he said with a slight grin. "I've gotta head back to Driftveil. I got a call that one of those Team Plasma fellows was spotted again and I need to get rid of 'im. I'll be back to check on the place tomorrow."

"Thanks for letting me know," Delaney said, though she was inwardly grimacing. Of _course_, Team Plasma _had_ to be here. "I'll be careful."

"Good to hear, Christa," he said. He nodded to the two. "Take care." And with that, he and Excadrill bounded down route seven in an obvious hurry to get home to Driftveil. Nicolai and Delaney stood watching him for a moment.

"I should get back to training," Nicolai said as he stared at the mountain in front of him. "If you're going through there to Iccirus, you should probably get started now. I heard from one of the hikers around here that it's supposed to snow tonight."

_Great._ "You're probably right," Delaney said, grimacing at the mountain. "It was good seeing you, Nicolai. Stop by and say hi anytime you see me."

"Bye, Christa!" he said with a wave and he and Reno headed in the same direction that Clay and Excadrill had just left in, leaving Delaney alone to stare at the formidable mountain ahead of her.

"Yikes," she muttered under her breath. What choice did she have but to start her trek through it though? She took a deep breath and began to go up the stairs to the entrance.

Around the fifteenth step up, Delaney's mind begin to wander (as it tended to). She definitely wished that she had waited for Sawyer (even though he hadn't told her to, nor did he insinuate that he intended to go with her). She wished that her pokedex would start working. She even wished that somebody would call her before she went into the cave and lost signal, but then again, it was probably better that she wait until she got to Icirrus. From the sounds of it, a storm was coming and she was best off to try and get through the mountain as quickly as possible.

Delaney took her first steps into the caverns of Twist Mountain and looked around, eyes wide. It didn't look much different from the caves of Sinnoh (well, Mount Coronet was the only mountain she had ever been through, but it wasn't much different from that). She took a few steps forward, still trying to take in all of the sights. Woobats hung from the ceiling, boldores congregated in groups that looked like piles of boulders and every once in awhile, a gurdurr would emerge from behind a boldore, glare at Delaney and walk away.

In her eagerness to see the sights, Delaney hadn't noticed that her left shoe had come undone. The brunette tripped on the lace and fell forward. A sharp rock caught the toe of the shoe and tore the extremely worn leather open, effectively ruining the shoes.

Delaney sighed. It was certainly a good thing that her mother had sent a new pair with Professor Juniper and Bianca, and an even better thing that Delaney had kept them in her bag. Especially with a snowstorm on its way, busted shoes just weren't good for somebody who traveled like Delaney did. By all means, she should've been excited for the new shoes.

But she wasn't. Because when it came down to it, these old shoes were the last remnant of her Sinnoh journey- the last remnant of Delaney Caldwell. She had bought them in Oreburgh City so very long ago, before her journey had become crazy and hectic.

Not like she had a choice, though. It was better to change shoes now before the weather got bad. With a sigh, Delaney plopped down on a boulder (after making sure it was not a boldore, of course) and slowly removed her left shoe, and then her right. She then grabbed the pair of shoes from her bag and carefully placed them on her feet and then laced them up. It felt both wrong and right for these foreign shoes to be on her feet.

She wasn't about to throw the old ones away though. Delaney grabbed the pair of worn leather sneakers and put them back in her bag- you know, just in case. And with new sneakers on her feet, Delaney began to head deeper into the mountain.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (521/12):** So before I delve into apologies for being MIA, I would like to first thank my truly wonderful beta, **Noteleks**, who helped so immensely with this chapter and also kicked my butt into gear to write it. I'm super lucky to have such an awesome beta!

Also, again, Aero is not my character- **TheDerpyBulbasaur** sent him in. Nicolai is not mine either- thanks to **ej92** for sending him in!

Now here come the apologies: I'm not going into details, because I'm sure nobody wants to hear me ramble, but we'll leave it at this: these last few months have been really rough. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, did. It's all over now. We're good to go.

I don't know if everyone saw this note on my profile, but I will repeat this **SUPER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:** My hard drive crashed a couple months ago and I lost everything for this story and the upcoming sequel. I'm lucky that a lot of things were able to be recovered thanks to my sending them to people to check them out. What I don't have is OC's that have been sent to me. I only have information on ej92's OCs, because they were sent to me again after I made the note on my profile. So in summary: if you have sent me an OC and are reading this, please send it to me again. Don't assume I have it, because unless you're ej92, I don't.

Last bit of updates: When my hard drive crashed and I lost my perfectly edited copy of the outline, I had to make due with an older copy that was not well-edited. I decided to end the story differently than I originally planned, and because of this, there will be **3-4** more chapters of this story. But don't worry- there will be a sequel! I'm REALLY excited to get to it. If you are an OC kind of person, I will be posting the form skeleton on my profile after this chapter is posted, as I will be accepting only 1-3 OC's for the the sequel. If you need a very basic outline of the plot or have any questions, PM me (and also send me your forms in PM).

Thank you all for sticking with me through this story. I appreciate your continued patience with me and I PROMISE 19 will not take nearly as long!


	19. 19: Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear

**Chapter 19: Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear**

As she wandered through the caverns of Twist Mountain, Delaney realized she was learning a valuable lesson: if you are awful at directions, don't go through a mountain in a foreign region by yourself, as you will get horribly, horribly lost. Also, don't decide to make this trek after being shot out of a cannon for hours on end and then biking to get to said mountain. After an hour of wandering, Delaney was already praying to Arceus to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

_Yeah, no chance of that._

When finally she saw an exit out, she nearly jumped for joy, despite her iffy (at best) leg. She quickened her pace and nearly ran towards the light… Only to find that it was an exit to the core of the mountain, where there was obviously once a mine. Delaney stood on the remnants of what was once a bridge, though this one dropped off after a couple feet. While it was nice to be breathing fresh air again, _man_, what a letdown. She had no idea why she thought getting out of there would be that easy.

Delaney stared down at the old mining area, with abandoned equipment and an old rusted conveyer belt twisting down the inside of the mountain- probably where Twist Mountain got its name. At the very bottom was a small house with a light on. Obviously, people were still staying here. Delaney grimaced, but vowed to get down there, as there was probably a bed of some sort, or even just a sofa. Surely people were kind enough to let a random girl with an injured leg sleep on their couch… right? Whatever was down there, it had to be better than camping, and that was for sure. Even if it was just their floor (because nobody could be mean enough to deny Delaney their floor, certainly).

She didn't fail to notice the darkening sky, which confirmed everyone's predictions that they were in for a real storm that evening. She just hoped she wouldn't be out there when it _really _started coming down.

She also didn't fail to notice the person in the gray uniform sneaking into the cave via one of the other entrances.

So Team Plasma _was_ there then, and per usual, Delaney would be expected to take them down. For some reason, she was much less opposed to this than she might've expected, but at this point, it was pretty much a given that Delaney would have to be the one to take them down. The gym leaders were so much more helpful than those of Sinnoh and she was grateful for the role they had played in helping her out already- Burgh going after them in the forest and at the pier in Castelia, Clay leaving Twist Mountain just then to round up a Plasma member wandering around Driftveil, it really was all very nice because back in Sinnoh they would've expected Delaney to do that as well. But Team Plasma wasn't going to be taken down by Burgh or Clay or any other gym leader. It was going to be Delaney again, and she was just going to have to accept that.

Sighing, Delaney turned to go back through the entrance, but was surprised to see someone hanging out at the entryway. He leaned against the cavern wall casually, as if he had been just chilling out there for years watching her, which was actually slightly creepy. "Sorry to scare you," he said. _And also apparently he could read minds. _"My cubchoo and I were out for a walk when I heard you. It's been awhile since I've noticed anybody but Clay wandering around the upper half of the mountain."

"Oh," was all Delaney could think to say. For some reason, this guy caught her off-guard. There was nothing particularly strange about him- he seemed close to her age, maybe a bit older, with shaggy light brown hair, a lanky build and deep blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. He, too, was dressed for the cold weather in a pair of brown cargo pants and a beige thermal sweatshirt. A small, icy blue bear-type pokémon hugged his leg, barely coming up to mid-calf height on him. "I'm sorry to disrupt your walk."

"No, it's no problem," he said with a friendly grin. "It's just usually quiet on the side of the mountain closer to Mistralton. Well, besides Clay and that excadrill of his, of course. I thought I'd investigate. Are you on your way to Icirrus?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" she said, surprised.

"That's usually the only reason we have trainers come through, but lately, there hasn't been a lot of them," he explained. "This place has mostly been abandoned, but Paws and I have taken up residence at the house at the bottom. You're welcome to stay if you need a place to wait out the storm tonight." The small bear by his side, who she assumed was the cubchoo named Paws, tugged on his trainer's pantleg and looked up at him. "Oh right," he said. "Paws was just reminding me of my manners. I'm Drew."

"I'm Christa," she said, a bit surprised at his friendliness. She had to admit, there was something about him that made her uneasy… However, seeing as how she was lost and didn't want to camp, she had to make due with accepting his generosity. "Thanks for the offer. It'd definitely be really nice not to have to camp out in the cave."

"Of course. I always like to help out the trainers passing through and it gets really cold in here during storms, probably because there are so many exits that lead out to the center," he said with a shrug. He gestured for her to follow him as he headed back into the cavern with Paws by his side. He could obviously navigate the mountain fairly well, knowing exactly which turns to take and which direction to head in. It was silent for awhile, and Delaney kept a few steps behind him at all times… just in case. After about ten minutes, during which, Drew seemed to be deep in thought, he finally spoke. "Christa… Curious name. Not one you hear often. Where are you from?"

"Nuvema Town," she said automatically, resisting the urge to spout out Hearthrome as she had all of her life. She really hoped he didn't ask any questions, as she knew nothing about Nuvema (but considering the fact that there were less than five houses, Delaney wasn't thinking it would be hard to improvise).

"That's interesting. I wouldn't have pegged you as a small-town girl," he said, appearing to be thinking quite seriously about Delaney's answer. Luckily, he seemed to know Nuvema, so Delaney didn't have to worry about him asking questions that she wouldn't know the answer to. "That's where Professor Juniper is from, right? Did you get your first pokémon from her?"

"Yes." Technically, in a way, she had- Professor Juniper had given Perry to Alex and Alex had given Perry to Delaney, so really, she was telling the truth and just leaving out the middle stage. "She's very nice."

"I met her once when I was passing through Unova. Very nice indeed," he said with a smile. "You seem very familiar. Have we battled before?"

"I don't think so," Delaney said uncertainly. Maybe that was why he made her a bit uneasy- he was familiar and she couldn't place him. She certainly liked that over the idea that her gut was telling her that something was wrong. Delaney didn't really trust her instincts anymore, though, seeing as how her instincts had led her to some rather precarious situations, like battling Team Galactic in the first place. She knew, though, that she had never battled him before, because she had never seen a cubchoo. Delaney assumed they were native to this area. "I remember everyone that I've battle at least a little."

"Maybe we've met somewhere else then," he said vaguely. He began walking at a faster pace. Paws struggled to keep up with his trainer, his short legs barely able to gain speed. Delaney was becoming more and more uneasy about what was going on. Who was this guy really, and why did he seem to know more than he let on? What was he leading her into? Was there a group ready to ambush her at the bottom of the mountain? Delaney's pace quickened as well and she held her bag more tightly against her body in case she needed to call out a pokémon at a moment's notice… just in case.

"I'm sorry if I'm going a bit too fast," he called back. "I just really want to make sure that we make it down there before it starts snowing really hard. Getting caught up in a storm here is the worst."

"It's okay," Delaney said, albeit a bit wearily. He was only continuing to go even faster, and after the events of the day, Delaney was quickly becoming exhausted. It had been awhile since she had asserted herself this much- probably not since she and Sawyer had powered through Chargestone Cave.

As she continued to follow Drew through twists and turns heading downwards, she was definitely wishing that she had stayed behind in Mistralton and waited to bump into Sawyer again because he probably would've convinced her not to follow a stranger through a mountain in a strange reason that was giving her weird vibes. Though, if you thought about it, she had also followed Sawyer through Chargestone Cave and he had been a stranger as well… And that wasn't even mentioning that she had let Alex lead her to Celestic Town the first time they had met. Maybe Delaney just had a knack for talking to strangers, which would probably eventually lead to something bad, like being killed by some random psycho or something.

Speaking of psychos, Drew was still walking at a fast pace heading down into the very heart of Twist Mountain. Cold air blew in from the vast entryways that led to outside, but he was careful to avoid leading Delaney through them, as it was beginning to get fairly rotten out. It seemed like part of their path was shortcuts, which Delaney appreciated, as her leg was starting to really throb and she was getting extremely tired- and of course, considering their journey was now silence, it was really awkward.

Each minute that passed by was starting to feel longer than the last and Delaney found herself dragging more and more behind, until Drew was barely a beige dot at the end of the line. She sighed and tried to ignore the throbbing of her leg as she jogged a little bit to try and make up a bit of ground. It made her feel slightly better to notice that the cubchoo was also struggling to keep up (though she mostly felt bad for it, as his legs were even shorter than her own).

She slowed down again once Drew became more than just a dot, but Paws was still straining to catch up with his trainer. Delaney had almost caught up with him when the small blue bear suddenly went down. He didn't get up, opting to stay on the ground and try to catch his breath instead. Drew hadn't yet noticed, so Delaney began to jog again until she made the short distance to where Paws sat huffing and puffing. She, too, got on the ground. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked softly.

The cubchoo looked at her with wide eyes and nodded, though he was still trying to catch his breath. "Drew!" she called. The boy was once again a beige dot, though the dot stopped getting farther away once Delaney called out. "Drew!" She yelled his name even louder this time. "Hold up!"

The dot grew bigger and Delaney realized he was coming back her way. Paws looked up at her and smiled. "I'll carry you the rest of the way if you want," she said with a chuckle. "But if I drop, then we're both in a pickle."

Finally Drew reached where the two were sitting on the ground. Paws was at last beginning to regulate his breathing again. Drew looked at Delaney, confused. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think you were just going a bit too fast for both of us," she said with a small smile. "Are we close?"

"Yeah, the house is just through that tunnel up ahead," he said, pointing forward to an entrance not too far ahead. "Did you fall or something?"

"No, Paws did, but I promised him a ride the rest of the way, so you don't need to worry. You can go on ahead if you'd like," she said. She slowly got up from her spot on the ground, setting Paws back on the cave floor while she stood. Once she was steady on her feet, she picked up the cubchoo, who then climbed to her shoulder. Delaney winced. "You're a bit heavier than you look, my friend. It's a good thing for you we're not going far," she joked. She looked from Paws to his trainer, who was looking at her with a slightly incredulous look. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," he said, though the look didn't leave his face. "I'll be slower this time. I'm sorry I was so fast, I was just worried about getting down here before the storm."

"No problem," Delaney said. "At least we're almost there."

Drew nodded, but his mind was clearly somewhere else. He looked almost… sad. Delaney felt a twinge of guilt for thinking he was weird and creepy- he probably just had something else going on, and Delaney hadn't had the best first impression of him. Arceus only knew what impressions other people had gotten of her while she was in Unova. Maybe she just needed to give him another chance.

"So are you from around here, Drew?" she asked. "You seem to know this place like the back of your hand.

"No, but I've walked this cave so many times throughout the six months I've been here that you'd think I was born in it," he said with a chuckle. "I was lucky to meet the gym leader Clay when I first moved out here. Have you met him yet? Big guy dressed kind of like a cowboy, very gruff, kind of scary?"

"I never did understand the cowboy attire when he's a miner slash businessman," Delaney said with a chuckle. "Are you a gym trainer of Clay's or something? I don't get it."

"Oh no," he said quickly. "I haven't been much of a battler in a long time. I only brought one pokémon from home with me, and it's definitely not a ground-type. I was just kind of wandering around in here and at first, I was just squatting in the cabin down here. When I ran into Clay and found out he owned this place, I thought for sure he was going to kick me out, but he's letting me stay so long as I help patrol the mountain. Gotta keep the riffraff out," he said, putting air quotes around the last part and lowering his voice to imitate Clay's. Delaney couldn't help but laugh, but her shoulders shaking didn't help Paws much as he began to desperately keep his perch on Delaney's shoulder, which only made her laugh even harder. She scooped up the cubchoo as he began to topple over, deciding to just keep him in her arms.

"He is a lot heavier than he looks," Delaney said with another chuckle.

"I think you should apologize to him for that. You're going to give him a complex," Drew joked. "You're beautiful just the way you are!" he said to Paws. Delaney again began to laugh, but as she looked back at Drew, she again got the feeling that there was more going on than she knew and she stopped laughing. "I don't hear an apology, Miss Christa!"

Delaney shook her head slightly, trying to brush off the odd feeling. "Sorry, just kind of spaced out," she muttered. She looked back at Paws, who was giving her a curious look. "My sincerest apologies, good sir. You're perfect. Don't change a thing," she said, winking at him.

"That's what I like to hear!" Drew said with a laugh.

A gust of wind came through the open entrance, and as Delaney took her first step through the entrance to the outside, she was met by a flurry of snowflakes directly in her face. She was far less amused by the winter storm than Paws, who seemed positively delighted at the snow. He began wriggling in Delaney's arms and the brunette trainer set him down. The small bear immediately began frolicking among the snowflakes. Delaney had to chuckle. She had never cared much for snow, but watching Paws play in it was quite adorable.

"Here we are, Christa!" Drew said, standing in front of the house a few yards away. Delaney looked up at him with a smile. She was so excited to get in there and get some rest, she could scream. "Come on, Paws! You can play in the snow in the morning!"

Despite the pain in her leg, Delaney ran the last couple yards to the house, with Paws toddling after her. As she opened the door, a burst of warm air came over her and she grinned ecstatically. The house itself was not much- there was a cot on each side of the room, a small television set, couch and a fireplace, which was a source of the heat. A door on the far wall led to what Delaney assumed was the bathroom.

The cot on the left side of the room was clearly Drew's, as the covers were rumpled and a bag was spilled open on top of the pillow. He was nowhere in the main room, so Delaney assumed he was in the restroom. Delaney set her own bag on the cot on the right and plopped down, realizing for the first time just how tired she was. Paws immediately came and stood in front of her expectantly at her feet. Delaney chuckled as she picked him up and set him on her cot. "Am I invading your space?" she said with a chuckle. "Sorry, buddy. Is it okay with you if I crash here tonight?"

Paws let out a squeal of approval. "Do you mind if I let my pokémon out? They're used to sleeping outside of their pokeballs, too. Plus, maybe you can make friends or something."

The cubchoo didn't give her a response one way or another, so Delaney reached into her bag and let out her team. Perry, in his new form, was far too big to take up the spot at the end of her bed that he was so accustomed to and so with a grumble, he took up residence near the door. Alec was now free to take up Perry's old spot and he climbed eagerly onto the cot. Marvel drifted through the air before taking up residence over by the fireplace. Tynamo swam through the air and also found a spot on the cot, directly next to Paws, whom she seemed curious to meet. Synapse, also adjusting to a new form, found a spot on Delaney's pillow. It was, after all, their usual routine to debrief at the end of each day. She enjoyed Synapse telling her about all of the things she couldn't understand because she couldn't speak their language. She was even beginning to adjust to the psychic pokémon communicating inside of her head.

"Making yourself at home, eh?" Drew said teasingly, as he came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of blue flannel pajama pants and a simple white t-shirt.

Delaney flushed. "My team is just used to sleeping in the room with me at the Pokemon Center. They like routine. I hope that's okay."

"Not a problem," he said with a wave. "It seems like Paws enjoys them too." Indeed, the cubchoo was playing with Alec and Tynamo and all three were chattering excitedly to each other.

Delaney chuckled. "I guess you could say so."

"_Who is this pokémon?"_ Synapse asked her quizzically. _"Is there a new member of our team?"_

"No," Delaney explained. "Paws is Drew's pokémon. He's just hanging out with us for a little while."

"_Oh,"_ Synapse said. _"Who's Drew? Well, obviously that guy, but is he your boyfriend? I thought Sawyer was your boyfriend."_

Delaney turned a shade of bright red. "He is not my boyfriend, and neither is Sawyer!" she said defensively (and a little bit louder than she intended).

"Who isn't your boyfriend?" Drew asked with an eyebrow raise. "And who are you talking to? Me?"

"No!" Delaney said quickly. "My duosion, Synapse, can uh…"

"Oh, the psychic pokémon thing," he said. "You don't need to explain. My first pokémon was a psychic-type."

Synapse giggled and Delaney rolled her eyes. "You're a pest," she told Synapse with a playful nudge. "I think you need to go to bed. I think we all do. I'm going to go change."

As Delaney got up to make her way to the restroom with her bag in hand, she noticed Synapse making her way over to Drew's cot. Apparently Delaney wasn't the only person the duosion could communicate with, because whatever Synapse was saying, Drew seemed to be listening intently. The brunette stepped into the small bathroom, which only had a toilet and a shower, and closed the door behind her.

As quickly as she could, Delaney changed out of her jean shorts and tank top into a pair of black sweatpants cut off at the knee and a red long-sleeved shirt. She washed her face and let her hair down from its ponytail. She also removed her blue contacts- she really had no choice, unless she wanted to irritate her eyes. She just hoped that Drew hadn't noticed her eyes and wouldn't notice the color change. When she looked in the mirror, she realized two things: one, she looked incredibly tired and two, she had finally grown used to her new reflection. The blue eyes and brown hair no longer looked out of place. She finally didn't look out of place.

As she picked up her day's clothes from the floor, she heard a bang out in the main room- the door flinging open and hitting the wall behind it. Muffled yells could be heard through the door. Delaney dropped her stuff and opened the bathroom door. Drew sat alert on his cot talking to the person in the doorway who was wearing a ski mask. "Arceus, we're being robbed," she muttered to herself.

The person took off his ski mask upon Delaney's sudden appearance. The reddish brown curly hair struck a chord of recognition with her. "Sawyer!"

"This guy just said he saw Team Galactic," Drew said gravely.

"I think you mean Plasma," Delaney said, feeling herself drain of color. "Sawyer, you mean Plasma right? The guys that look like they're in the middle of a renaissance fair, led by the green-haired guy that says he's a king. Remember, we fought them in Chargestone Cave… Them, right?"

Sawyer shook his head. "I know who Plasma is, D-" Sawyer bit his lip and swallowed. "Dear." He had been remarkably close to calling her Delaney. "This isn't them. It's a bunch of guys with wigs that kind of look like spacemen, not knights. It's Team Galactic. They're here in Unova."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (0603/12): **Here we are TWO (that's right, as in one more than one) chapters from the end!

A major shout-out to the wonderful **Noteleks**, without whom I would forever be suffering from writer's block. I realized halfway through this chapter that most of the reason why I was getting stuck so frequently was that I hadn't played B/W in so long that I couldn't remember much of it, so I decided to start over. I'm finding myself liking it a lot more than I remember liking it (and I have new appreciation for a scrafty with moxie and good attack nature).

Remember, if you have any desire to submit an OC for the sequel, please see my profile, and message me if you have questions (which I'm sure you will, because I was annoyingly vague since I don't want to spoil the end of this story).

Thank you also SO much to the people that have stuck with reading this through all of my disappearances, delays and general craziness. It means so much to me that people are reading this because I really do love to write it.

Until next time~


	20. 20: Today Will Be Better, I Swear!

**Chapter 20: Today Will Be Better, I Swear!**

The snow was not nearly as bad as everyone had predicted, but it was exceptionally cold, even for an Unova winter. However, at a time like this, the cold was rather welcome, as it was keeping Delaney awake and focused on the problem ahead of her- Team Galactic was now in Unova. Now what was she to do?

After Sawyer had confirmed the presence of Team Galactic, Delaney had immediately gone back into the restroom, grabbed one of the towels on the counter, and screamed into it. To say that she was panicking was an understatement- Delaney was absolutely hysterical. All she could think of was Marvel (the togekiss, not litwick), and Alex, and her father getting ransacked by Galactic grunts, and her friends back there who were undoubtedly being harassed for their connection to her. After all that had happened last time, she hadn't been able to do anything. The world was no safer for them than it had been before, and now, there was nothing she could do to stop them.

She sat on the restroom floor for awhile and tried to regain her senses. She could hear Sawyer and Drew talking, but she couldn't make out the words. After she had ceased to feel dizzy, Delaney went back into the main room and grabbed the blanket (noting that none of the pokémon that had been sprawled around the room were there any longer) and went directly outside without speaking to Sawyer or Drew. She still sat out there, leaning against the front, wrapped in a thin cotton blanket and shivering slightly. As much as she craved the warmth of the fire, she couldn't bring herself to move.

_"Aren't you cold?"_a sweet high-pitched voice asked her. Synapse hovered near Delaney's head._"Marvel, come here. She's going to freeze."_

Delaney warmed immensely as the small candle-like pokémon took a place near her feet and smiled up at her. "What are you guys doing out here?"

_"We were worried about you, so Drew let us out. He's very nice. The others are patrolling the area and making sure none of those Team Galactic people that Sawyer mentioned come near you, but Marvel and I stayed back. Is Team Galactic the people you told me about before?" _Synapse asked. Delaney had to chuckle at her team's tenacity, though it touched her heart that they were worried about her. It also worried her that they were out without her, as Team Plasma (and Team Galactic, for that matter) was no stranger to stealing pokémon.

"They're out without me?" Delaney asked, raising an eyebrow.

_"They're all together. Perry said we would know about it if something bad happened,"_the psychic pokémon assured her._"Stop worrying about us. Are you okay?"_

_"You don't have to worry about us,"_Synapse repeated. "_Delaney? What does it mean for us that Team Galactic is here? Isn't it just going to be exactly like fighting Team Plasma?"_

"Well, now there are twice as many people to fight against," Delaney said, biting her lip. "And I'm sure Cyrus has trained them up from last time. He wouldn't want to lose again." Delaney grimaced as she thought of the blue-haired leader of Team Galactic. It had been nearly a full year since she had seen him, but if she had never seen him again after all that had happened at the Spear Pillar, it would've been too soon. There wasn't another person that could instantly strike fear into her like Cyrus could. She would never forget, nor forgive, what he had done to Marvel, or to Alex, or to her, or anybody else that had been victim to his crazy aspirations. "Does this mean Cyrus is here too?" she wondered out loud.

"_Who is Cyrus?"_Synapse asked.

"He's the leader of Team Galactic. He was the one that…"

"_Oh,"_Synapse said, cutting her off before she had to utter the words. "_I think we'll be okay, Delaney. Look at how well we've done so far against Team Plasma! And besides, look at how many people have helped you along the way. They'll stand by you again."_

The duosion had a very valid point there. Though she had gone through the Team Galactic debacle mostly alone (though she had indeed had _some _help from Dax, Cynthia, Lucas and Professor Rowan), it had been the opposite here in Unova. She had met person after person who had helped her in some way, shape or form. There was Cheren, who had hunted Team Plasma down through Pinwheel Forest and that storage bin in Driftveil with her, and Bianca, who had been there to help carry her to the hospital when she had been hurt. Sawyer had helped her get to Mistralton, taken care of her while she recovered and stood by her even after learning that everything he knew about her had been a lie. All of the gym leaders she had met that had been embroiled in this mess as well had stood by her side. Even Drew was giving her a place to sleep for the night. She didn't have to do this alone. She really had a chance here and besides, what choice did she have anyways? She _knew _that Team Plasma was her battle to fight. Team Galactic was just making things rather unfair.

"You're right," Delaney sighed. "How did I get myself into this again?"

"_I don't think you did. I think other people got you into it,"_Synapse said matter-of-factly. This also was very true and Delaney had to sigh again.

"Right again…" She trailed off as another thought crossed her mind. Not only did she have to go through the physical and mental torment of having to battle Team Galactic (and Team Plasma), her pokémon were going to face the stress as well. The mental image of Marvel being struck down from the sky flashed across her mind again and she cringed. "I'm sorry you guys are going to have to go through this. You guys deserve a better trainer. A normal trainer, who doesn't get stuck with this kind of stuff."

"_We wouldn't want to be with anybody else. We're all going to be here until the very end, Delaney,_" Synapse said firmly. "_And how many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about us? Worry about yourself!"_

"You sound like my parents," Delaney said with a chuckle. She felt another pang of guilt at realizing that she hadn't called her parents in quite awhile. She had spoken briefly with her mother upon arriving in Mistralton (mainly just because Professor Juniper had told her about Delaney's injury) and it had been even longer since she had called her father.

And Dax. How long had it been since she had spoken to her best friend? She needed to call them all. She needed to see their faces and hear their voices.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her from behind. Delaney didn't even have to look to know that it was Sawyer. "Things are about to get ugly. You know that, right?" She wasn't sure anymore if she was speaking to Sawyer or Synapse.

"Stop trying to convince me to leave," he murmured. "You're wasting your breath. Now come inside, you're going to catch hypothermia."

"Marvel is keeping my feet warm," Delaney said evenly. "I'm fine." However, sensing that it was time to go in now, the small candle-like pokémon began floating to the door with Synapse in tow, the two of them chattering under their breaths.

Sawyer stood up and crossed his arms, staring down at the brunette huddled in a small blanket. "Del, please don't argue with me," he pleaded and then sighed. "Arceus, I sound like my mother. Listen, um, please? Delaney, it has been a long, crazy day for all of us and it's about to get even crazier and you're going to need all the strength and energy you can get. I will keep rambling until you get up and get into bed, so please just pacify me. Please."

"Well, since you said please," she teased, mocking the fact that he had only said it about five hundred times. Sighing, she got up, though the blanket was still wrapped tightly around her.

"Mmhmm, go ahead, make fun of me for only looking out for your well-being like a good friend," Sawyer said sarcastically. "You'll thank me when you're not dragging ass tomorrow."

"I have a feeling all the sleep in the world couldn't make me feel rested," she said with an eyeroll.

"Nope, enough with the negativity," Sawyer said, throwing his arm around her shoulders and guiding her back to the door. "Things are going to look better in the morning. I mean, granted, they do look really bad right now, but everything looks better in the morning, right?"

"You're not so good at this," Delaney said raising an eyebrow. "And you're ranting. I think you need sleep more than me."

"Well I could never sleep knowing that you were out here freezing your ears off," Sawyer said almost indignantly. With that, he opened the door and he and Delaney went back inside.

The lights were now off and Drew was asleep on his small cot, curled into a small ball. Paws was resting on the pillow that Drew had tossed off to the side and the cubchoo looked sleepily up at them as Delaney headed back to her cot and Sawyer to the couch. Delaney watched him, too, curl up in a ball, as Synapse had taken up residence at the end of the couch. The brunette trainer crawled into bed, making sure not to bump into Alec or Tynamo, who were both long asleep. Her pokémon seemed just as exhausted by the day as she was.

Not that she would admit she was exhausted to Sawyer, but really, she couldn't wait to get to sleep, though it seemed almost wrong to be slumbering while Team Galactic was making themselves right at home in Unova. Still, her eyelids were refusing to let guilt overrun them and before she knew it, she was dozing off as well.

* * *

><p><em>"Here, let me heal your pokémon," the blonde boy said, opening his bag and pulling out potion after potion, letting Delaney's team reap the benefits.<em>

_"What about you?" she asked, her eyes wide. Why was Dax doing this? His pokémon were hurt too. Jupiter and Mars had nearly overcome them both, but at the last minute Dax's snorlax had intervened and finished off the two Galactic commanders._

_"Look, Cyrus is waiting for you, and you and I both know there's no way you can win with your pokémon in bad shape. They need to be ready to fight to win." She had never seen him look so serious._

_"Aren't you going to help me, though? We can tag-team him, just like we did with those two!" she said, jerking her head towards a very sour Commander Mars and a weeping Commander Jupiter. "I can't do this alone."_

_"Delly, you're going to have to," he said bluntly. "You're the hero of this story, and only you can beat Cyrus." As he used his final hyper potion on Samuel, who looked quite indignant that someone dared touch him besides Delaney, he stood up. "Now go beat Team Galactic. I'm going to try and find some help. Maybe I can find that Looker guy somewhere."_

_"Dax!" she cried out, but the blonde boy was heading back into Mount Coronet, his scarf billowing in the tundra wind. Delaney wrapped her pink corduroy jacket around her even more tightly. "I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this," she chanted to herself, close to tears, but she still moved forward until she stood toe-to-toe with Cyrus. She had a feeling that the evil smirk he was giving her would never leave her mind._

The pillow was no longer under her head, but clutched by both fists by the brunette trainer who was now breathing heavily and sprawled out on the bed, with one leg hanging off of it. The fire had died down and nobody was awake, save for one small bear.

Paws was standing by the side of her cot, looking up at her with a concerned expression on his face. It reminded her so strongly of Perry back when he was an oshawott who didn't know quite how to react to her that it was a little scary. Not as scary as the brief flashback that had rooted itself in whatever dream she had been having.

Dax had been the one to fill in the events of the Spear Pillar for her and he recounted the events for her whenever her memory became hazy. They had battled against Commanders Mars and Jupiter and won. Dax had healed her pokémon and then left to go get help. She remembered staring Cyrus straight in the eyes and then something happened that nobody had filled her in on (Cynthia had been unwilling to talk and Dax hadn't been there) and then Cyrus and Delaney battled and then Alex came and left.

This was the first time Delaney had dreamt about anything related to the Spear Pillar besides Alex, and she wished more than anything that there was somebody around who could relate. However, seeing as how anybody associated with the Spear Pillar was back in Sinnoh (or you know, camped out somewhere in Unova), the next best thing was to grab Paws and give him a big hug. He had no idea what was going on other than the fact that Delaney was upset and he was quite huggable and that was good enough for her.

* * *

><p>When Delaney awoke again, the room was full of sunlight. The first thing Delaney noticed was that Paws was no longer curled up in her bed. The next was that Sawyer was sitting on the couch speaking in a low voice to Synapse. He turned immediately in her direction when he heard the cot creak as she got up. "Hey, you. Did you sleep well?"<p>

Delaney thought immediately of the brief flashback that had interrupted her sleep in the middle of the night, but decided not to say anything of it. Sawyer would begin to worry and then he would begin to ramble and then he would try in his own little awkward way to make her feel better, which was sweet, but often counterproductive. Instead, she just smiled and said, "Yep. What time is it?" She began going through her bag and digging for some clean clothes.

"Eleven," he said. Delaney jerked her head back in his direction disbelievingly.

"I can't believe you let me sleep until eleven! I wanted to get to Icirrus today!" As she grabbed a pair of black pants from her bag, she realized that not everyone was accounted for. "Where's Drew?"

"He went on ahead. Said that he had to go patrol the Mistralton end of the tunnel. He told me how to get out, though. We're almost to the end," the auburn-haired boy said eagerly. "We'll be in Icirrus in an hour, two tops."

"We're that close?" Delaney asked, raising an eyebrow. She pulled a deep green t-shirt out of her bag and tossed it in a heap with the pants.

"If what Drew says is right, yes," Sawyer said, nodding his head. "Nice guy. Pretty quiet, though. He told me to tell you bye and that he hopes you meet again."

Quiet? Drew had been a chatterbox the day before with her, between asking questions about Delaney and answering the ones she fired back at him. Yes, he was nice, but she still couldn't crack him. "Anyways," Sawyer continued, looking confused at Delaney's silence as she pondered the mystery that was Drew. "It's not snowing anymore, but it's still cold out, so you might want to dress kind of warm."

"Arceus, you do sound like somebody's mother," Delaney teased._Mother…_She hadn't called her own in awhile… Or her father… Or Dax. "Speaking of… Do you mind if I make a few calls before we leave?"

Sawyer shrugged. "You were the one wigging out about waking up so late. You're in charge, Captain Delaney." He grabbed his blue coat off of the back of the couch. "I'll leave you alone to make your calls. I think I'm going to wander around a little bit- see if I can figure out exactly where this path is so we can zoom over there."

"Thanks, Sawyer," she said with a grin. She had to admit; she missed his little sarcastic quips and his oddities. The auburn-haired boy gave a two finger wave as he headed out the door. Delaney chuckled to herself and grabbed her crosstransceiver out of her bag. The clothes she had picked out remained in a heap on the floor- there were more important things to do than get dressed at the moment.

She dialed the first one in her contacts and pushed the call button, desperately hoping that she would get an answer and not go directly to voicemail. When she saw the familiar friendly blue eyes light up at seeing Delaney, she knew that she had gotten what she wanted. "Hey kiddo!" Lydia said happily. "How are you? Where are you at?"

"I'm going through Twist Mountain, if you can believe it," she said with a smile. Despite how angry she had been at the prospect of having to stay with her mother, Delaney had really grown to appreciate her. Nothing would change the many years of silence or the fact that she hadn't been there for a large chunk of Delaney's life, but Lydia wasn't the evil monster Delaney had imagined. "I'll be in Icirrus in an hour or two. Hopefully getting my seventh badge by the end of tomorrow- maybe even today!"

"Oh, honey, that's great!" Lydia said with a huge smile. "I'm so proud of you! Before you know it, you'll be battling through the Pokemon League!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Delaney said with a snicker. "I have quite a lot of work ahead of me before that happens." Like figuring out what the hell to do about Team Plasma and Team Galactic, for instance.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Lydia said with an eyebrow raise.

"Yeah," Delaney said, a nervous chuckle escaping her throat. "Lots of fun indeed." Trying to convince N that he shouldn't liberate pokémon, that was fun alright. Or even better, conversing with Ghetsis- a guaranteed blast. There was some major fun in Delaney's future, that could be certain.

"Well, hon, I promised Aurea that I would stop by the lab. Seems a mincinno she caught recently has been raising havoc and upsetting the litter of lillipup she's been studying." Delaney had no idea what a mincinno was, but if it was raising havoc, then that probably wasn't a good thing. "I'm really glad you called, though. I miss you, and Vinny misses you!"

Delaney shuddered as she thought of the bug that had been hiding in her room when she had first arrived in Unova. "I miss you too… And Vinny as well, I guess."

"He'll be glad to hear it!" Lydia said earnestly, not noticing (or just ignoring) the sarcasm in Delaney's voice. "I'll talk to you later. Be safe!" And with that, Lydia ended the call.

Delaney stared at the crosstransceiver. _Be safe…Easier said than done. _Lydia's parting words had unnerved her slightly, but that didn't stop her from going back to her contacts and dialing another number.

The phone rang one, twice, three times before Blake's face came to the screen. Delaney realized at once that it was his voicemail greeting. Delaney waited through the automated message and at the beep, she spoke. "Hey Daddy, it's me. I haven't called in awhile, so I thought I would call and check on you… Hopefully you're just not answering because you're in your garden or playing with Charlie or something. Tell Charlie and Dibs I said hi, by the way. Annette, too… But anyways, call me back later if you get a chance. I love you and I miss you."

And with that, Delaney ended the call, and she stared at the crosstransceiver fighting back tears, for some odd, unknown reason. She was rather disappointed that she hadn't gotten to talk to her father, sure, but that was no reason to cry. It wasn't like he wasn't going to call back. Ugh, when had she become such a crier? The brunette wiped her eyes, irritated, and dipped back into her contact pool to make one final call.

She didn't know if he would pick up either, seeing as how Dax Briley was an incredibly busy young man, but to her surprise, he answered on the second ring. "Ah, Delaney Christa Caldwell!" he squealed and Delaney felt a smile burst across her face. She couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to hear Dax call her by her full name like he had done a hundred million times before. The blonde trainer paused and examined the image on his screen. "Why are you in your pajamas? You didn't give up on your journey and decide to stay home and mope, did you?"

Delaney rolled her eyes. "No, Dax. I actually slept in for once, but I'm nearly to the next city, so it's okay. I'll be getting my seventh badge soon!"

"Well, of course," Dax said, as if what Delaney had said was child's logic. "You're Delaney Caldwell. Of course you're taking Unova by storm."

"Technically I'm Christa White," she reminded him, but he brushed her off with a wave of his hand.

"You will _always _be Delaney Christa Caldwell," he said. "How are you? I haven't heard from you in_way_too long."

"I'm just fine," she said with a slight grimace. "Traveling along my merry way. Battling this group called Team Plasma… Oh, and surprise! Team Galactic is here."

Dax's eyes widened. "What? They're there t-" And before Dax could finish, Sawyer walked through the door, already peeling off his puffy blue coat.

"More like twenty minutes to Icirrus," he said with a grin and then he noticed Delaney still in her pajamas, crosstransceiver in hand. "Oh, sorry to interrupt, De- dear," he said, catching himself just like he did the night before.

Dax's eyes were the size of saucers. "No, _I'm _sorry to interrupt," Dax told Delaney with a devilish smirk.

"You aren't interrupting anything. I called you, remember?" Delaney said in an irritated voice. She knew Dax far too well, and it was only a matter of time before he said something to completely and utterly embarrass her.

"Oh, of course," Dax said, speaking a little louder than he had before, in an effort to make sure Delaney's companion heard him. "Delly, who is that?"

"That's my _friend_, Sawyer," Delaney said, putting an extra emphasis on 'friend' to make sure that Dax didn't get out of line… Though really, trying to make sure Dax didn't get out of line was more or less a lost cause. "And you're lucky he knows I'm Delaney, because you could've just put me in a really awkward position."

"So sorry, Delaney Christa Caldwell, darling," Dax drawled, that damned smirk still on his face. Obviously, the news of Team Galactic being in Unova was far less exciting than the fact that Delaney was traveling with a boy.

"Should I be afraid?" Sawyer asked quietly, not moving from his position by the door. Delaney just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Hey, don't roll your eyes at me!" Dax protested loudly. "I see you're busy now, and you should go get back to traveling, so call me later."

"You didn't update me on anything in your life," Delaney complained.

"Go have fun with your boy toy," Dax said. Delaney had to facepalm, purposely avoiding looking at Sawyer, who she knew had to be turning red. "You'll call me later and I'll tell you all about my remarkably dull life in Sinnoh where I sit around the suite in the Battle Tower that my father occupies while he's off in meetings all day."

"Deal," Delaney promised, though she was definitely intrigued. Why wasn't Palmer battling? Were things so bad that the Battle Frontier, which was fairly disconnected from mainland Sinnoh, couldn't even operate as normal?

"See ya, pumpkin," Dax said and just like that, his face left the screen, leaving Delaney to deal with a very flushed and awkward-feeling Sawyer.

"I'm _so _sorry," she said, cringing. "That… was Dax. He's a bit of a handful, to say the very least."

"Dax?" Sawyer asked.

"He's my best friend from Sinnoh. We were traveling and doing the gym challenge there at the same time," the brunette explained. She finally grabbed her heap of clothes and began to walk towards the bathroom, hoping to end the awkward conversation quickly.

"That name sounds familiar…" Sawyer said, thinking out loud. "I think I know who you're talking about. He's really good, right? Challenged the Pokemon League?"

"Yeah," Delaney said. "That's Dax, alright. I'll put money on the fact that one day, he'll be taking over for Cynthia."

"Not if you get there first," Sawyer said with a grin, which faded after noticing that Delaney had no visible reaction to the words. "Come on, Delaney Caldwell, champion? Everyone's been predicting it since… Well, you know."

"It'll be Dax," she said, turning around and walking into the bathroom. Before shutting the door, she looked back at him. He was clearly quite confused. "Champion has always been Dax's dream, not mine." And with that, she shut the bathroom door and began throwing off her pajamas in favor of real clothes.

"And what's your dream?" Sawyer called out.

"I'll let you know when I figure that out," she yelled back, buttoning up her pants. Sawyer clearly had nothing to say to that, so Delaney was able to throw on the green shirt and put her hair into a messy ponytail in almost no time. She stepped back into the main room to find Sawyer sitting on her cot, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"You almost ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, just let me throw my shoes on," she said and she took a seat beside him, setting her sneakers on the bed next to her. She put the left one on and began lacing it up.

"So, boy toy, eh?" Sawyer said with an eyebrow raise. Delaney turned fire-engine red, but continued to focus intently on her shoes.

"Dax is a piece of work," she muttered. The left shoe was on just fine, and so then Delaney grabbed the right one and slid it on. "Don't ever listen to a word he says. Ever. I had to learn that the hard way."

"Do you have a lot of boy toys?" Sawyer asked with a smirk. He was obviously enjoying Delaney's discomfort as she pulled the shoestrings tight and began to tie them into a bow.

"Sawyer, remember when you were really nice and didn't make a habit of making fun of me all the time?" Delaney asked exasperatedly. She stood up and grabbed the black jacket that hung from the frame the cot rested on.

"No," he said with a shrug. "I made fun of you for being lost when we met."

Delaney sighed. "This is true. You're a piece of work, too, Sawyer Hale."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said as he put back on his puffy blue coat. "Now come on. To Icirrus we go!"

The tunnel that led directly into Icirrus City was a few paces from Drew's cabin, and Delaney was so excited to see it, she nearly jumped- which she could actually do, considering her leg was hurting her considerably less than the day before. Sawyer pointed to the small dot of light far ahead. "There's our light at the end of the tunnel. We're almost there."

Seeing as how they were so close, they didn't see the point in rushing. Delaney was definitely going to have a chance to battle the Icirrus gym by nightfall, where they could sleep in the nice, warm beds of the Pokemon Center (which Delaney was appreciating more and more). Then the following day, they would be continuing on their journey, continuing to take steps towards the Pokemon League. Even Delaney, who had been skeptical on going on another journey, had to admit it- she was ecstatic.

"Hey!" she heard somebody yell ahead of them. She could faintly make out the outline of a tall, thin male in a blue coat with black hair… Cheren. As she and Sawyer got closer, she realized that there were two figures standing across from him. Two figures in gray uniforms with ridiculous teal wigs. "This isn't the last time you'll see us, kid!"

One of the two grunts turned to survey the oncoming two trainers, who quickly joined Cheren's side. Delaney's heart was pounding straight through her chest. The grunts weren't scary, especially considering Cheren had probably just whooped their asses in battle, but it was incredibly jarring to see the Team Galactic grunts in a cave in Unova. She had almost been able to forget they were here as she talked to Lydia and Dax and Sawyer- well, not quite forget, but she had been able to ignore the fact that they were really very real. They seemed as distant as the rest of Sinnoh did. As they looked her in the eye, though, it was impossible to think of Team Galactic as being distant. They were here just as sure as she was.

"Man, we could've taken their pokémon if that kid didn't beat us!" the other grunt lamented as he began to walk back into the mountain.

His cohort began to follow him. "Yeah, we'll be demoted now for sure," he groaned. "Maybe we can find some ultra-rare pokémon in here and then Mars will go easy on us!" So Mars was here- that was good to know, though Delaney had never thought of her as much of a threat. As one of the highest-ranking members, she was probably in charge of the grunts in Unova. That made Delaney feel a bit better. Mars was strong, but she wasn't impossible.

"This isn't a new Plasma uniform, is it?" Cheren asked as he watched the two grunts walk away.

Delaney shook her head. "Team Galactic has come to Unova."

"Well they've been taken down once before. Surely they can't be too much of a problem," said the boy who had never even seen Team Galactic, much less fought against them and therefore had no room to say anything.

"I just hope there aren't a lot of them," Delaney said. "I guess we'll find out. We'll see you later, Cheren." And with that, Delaney began to march forward and Sawyer went right along with her. The exit was almost within reach and Delaney could see snow-laden trees outside of the mouth of the cave. Thoughts began to race through her mind before she could stop them. _What if there were a bunch of grunts outside the cave waiting? What if Mars herself was outside the cave waiting? What if Team Galactic has taken over Icirrus?_ Still, her pace quickened. She was eager to find out and face it, whatever it was.

It was a genuine shock to take a step out of the cave's mouth and not see a single gray spaceman uniform or ridiculous wig (or even the odd knight uniform of the Plasma grunts). For as far as the eye could see over the moors of Icirrus and beyond, as far as the gym that she could see looming at the edge of her sightline, she didn't see a member of Team Plasma or Team Galactic- which was somewhat of a relief and somewhat of a worry. After all, those grunts in the cave hadn't just wandered in from Sinnoh, so there had to be some sort of base first.

This worry could take a backseat for the day though. "What do you say we head to the Pokemon Center and grab a couple rooms and then head off to the gym?" Delaney suggested.

"Whatever you want," Sawyer said with a shrug as he followed the brunette trainer to the Pokemon Center. "I'm not the gym trainer, you are. I'm just along for the ride, whatever that ride may be."

"Well I would like to go get my seventh gym badge, if that's quite alright," Delaney said with a broad grin. "That's pretty nice and normal, right?"

Sawyer snorted. "There's nothing nice or normal about you."

Delaney rolled her eyes. "Always so eloquent and courteous, Sawyer." And with that, she took a step forward and the sliding doors of the Pokemon Center parted to allow the two entrance. Oh, how she had missed Pokemon Centers.

"I'll go get us rooms. We each want a single room, right?" Sawyer asked, walking over to the counter.

"Or one room with two single beds. I'm not picky," the brunette trainer said. She stared out the window of the Pokemon Center out into Icirrus. Nope, there was nothing suspicious… Which was incredibly suspicious to her.

A moment later, Sawyer returned with two room keys triumphantly. "Here you go, Miss White," he said loudly. Apparently he had finally gotten the hang of not calling her Delaney Caldwell in public. "To the Iccirus City gym we go!"

"To the Iccirus City gym we go," Delaney repeated with a small smile on her face. She was excited, sure, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly, horribly wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (0611/12): **Here we are, now officially two chapters out from the end! (Did I mention I suck at counting?) Though to me, it's two chapters, because I have a large chunk of the final chapter written... But I digress.

Before anything, I would like to say thank you SO much to all of you. I had a really particularly brutal week over the last week and coming home to finding reviews and messages and OC's and what not really genuinely made my day. I am so lucky to have such kind people reading this story. (: Also a huge thank you as always to **Noteleks****, **not only for being the best beta ever but for the amazing cover art for this story!

I'm sorry to say I don't have a title for the sequel to tell you yet, but hopefully I will by the last chapter (which will be posted on June 27th, no matter what).

Thanks again as always, and see you next week!

~DAT


	21. 21: Calling All Skeletons

****_(PLEASE BE WARNED: From here on out, the story will definitely be utilizing the T rating. This means a bit more profane language and more violence. Please be aware of that before you begin reading. Thank you!)  
><em>

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><p><strong>Chapter 21: Calling All Skeletons<strong>

The dip in the floor of ice hadn't been there when Delaney had stepped forward to challenge Brycen, a man of few words (and a few ice pokémon). The dip had been caused by Marvel melting the ice and Cryogonal freezing it back over while trying to freeze Alec out- a rather unsuccessful move that had resulted in a solid hit to the giant floating snowflake and triggered the scraggy's evolution. Delaney was still getting used to Alec's odd mohawk (really, it was much less odd than anything about Cryogonal, who looked like a demonic snowflake to Delaney), but the scrafty's bizarre new look was the last thing on her mind as she embraced the fighting-type pokémon and congratulated him on a job well done. After the celebrating came putting him back in his pokéball and proudly accepting the badge from Brycen and after that came sliding down the giant ice slide to the bottom of the gym where they had begun.

Delaney was greeted by a gust of cold air as she opened the door of the Icirrus gym and took a step out. It was one of those days that weren't particularly cold until the wind blew (but when a gust did come through, it was freezing). The grey clouds above looked like they wanted to release a storm on the small town, though at the moment, no sort of precipitation greeted the residents of Icirrus.

After the wind had passed and Delaney had fixed her tousled brown hair, the brunette trainer cared very little about the weather, and why should she? She had her seventh badge! That's right, seven- as in one more to the Pokémon League! She was beaming, looking back at Sawyer as they recapped her win excitedly.

It probably would've been better if she had been facing forward and paying attention to where she was going, at least for Cheren's sake, because he and Bianca were standing way too close to the door and Delaney walked right into him. She spun around quickly, only to find Cheren on the ground, grumbling as he picked himself and his glasses up. Bianca hardly paid her friend any mind. "Christa!" she chirped delightedly. "And… Sawyer, right? Nice to see you again!"

"You too," Delaney said with a slight smile. "And uh… Sorry, Cheren."

"No worries," the dark-haired boy said briskly as he dusted the dirt off of his pants. "So you beat the gym leader Brycen then?"

Delaney nodded, unable to resist bursting out into a grin. "Yeah, and Alec evolved!"

"Who are you?" a voice from behind her boomed. Delaney whirled around to find Brycen, the Icirrus gym leader, who no longer looked calm and even-keeled as he had back in the gym. Now, he seemed angry and almost… afraid?

At least Delaney wasn't the only one who was confused. Bianca looked from the bright-eyed brunette trainer to Sawyer at Delaney's side and then to Cheren at her right. None of the four teens seemed to be the target of Brycen's outburst- in fact, it was like he hardly recognized they were there. "Is he talking to us…?" Bianca asked Cheren quietly.

The gym leader shook his head slightly. "I know you are there! Why don't you show yourselves?"

"What the hell is going on?" Sawyer asked, not bothering to whisper. Subtlety was not one of his strong suits.

_They_ seemed to come out of nowhere- no, they really did come out of nowhere. Materializing in front of her very eyes were the shadowy beings from Chargestone Cave. "Very impressive, gym leader of Icirrus City," one drawled. "We, the Shadow Triad, are beings of shadow and not easily noticed." Though none of the three stood too closely to Delaney, just the memory of their rancid breath and cold touch were enough to give her the chills.

The one closest to Brycen spoke up. "Our mission was to speak only to Christa White, but so be it. Ghetsis has a message for you: come to Dragonspiral Tower."

"It is there our lord N waits for you," the final of the triad spoke up. "Now our mission is complete." And with that, they disappeared, leaving not a trace of them ever being there.

Silence was thick in the air as the five standing in front of the Icirrus gym tried to make sense of exactly what had just happened. Delaney knew that Sawyer, Bianca and Cheren were just trying to wrap their heads around the Shadow Triad, just as she had when she had first encountered them in Chargestone Cave. As hard as she tried, though, she couldn't read Brycen. He was the first to speak though. "Dragonspiral Tower…" he muttered to himself. "What's happening there?" He turned his head to the north and was quiet again for a little while longer. "I'm going to head to Dragonspiral Tower," he said, facing the group of teens once more. He nodded his head towards Christa. "From the sounds of it, you should come as well."

"Oh, Christa, you're not, are you?" Bianca said worriedly. "Those… things, they were scary. You might get hurt."

"It sounds like I really don't have a choice," Delaney said with a slight chuckle. "I need to go heal my pokémon though first."

"You should probably go right away," Sawyer said. "If you want to hand me your bag, I'll run them by the Pokémon Center and meet you there."

Delaney handed him her pink trainer's bag. The thought crossed her mind to make a joke about Sawyer carrying around her pink bag, but she couldn't help but think that now really wasn't the time to be making jokes. "Thanks," she simply said.

"Christa, do you know where Dragonspiral Tower is?" Cheren asked.

"Well, Brycen looked that way, so I'm going to assume it's that way…" Delaney said, turning her head to the north as well.

"If you go straight on this path, you'll find it," Cheren said. "Though I don't know how you'll get inside. When I was over there earlier, it looked like it was all sealed up."

"Leave it to Team Plasma to bust shit up," Delaney muttered. "I'm sure they found a way inside," she said a bit louder. "I'm pretty convinced by this point that there's really nothing they can't do." And with that, Delaney turned and began to head down the well-worn path north.

"Wait!" Cheren yelped. Delaney could hear his harried footsteps coming towards her. "I'm coming with you."

A second set of footsteps followed his. "You guys aren't leaving me alone!" Bianca said indignantly. "What if those shadow things come back? Nuh-uh, not happening."

It felt a bit odd for the three of them to be walking together, striding with purpose. Even Bianca seemed to know that now was not the time for idle chit-chat. The tower loomed above them, ominous against the darkening sky. As they approached what seemed to be the entrance, Delaney noticed a man looking up at it. She went to reach for one of her pokèballs, unsure if she should be ready to attack or not, before she remembered that Sawyer was healing her team up at the Pokémon Center. She couldn't help but think that agreeing to that _may_ have been a bad decision.

"Professor Juniper!" Bianca said, sounding a bit surprised.

Delaney, too, was surprised. "I thought Professor Juniper was a woman…" she mumbled in Cheren's general direction.

"This is her father," he muttered back.

_Oh… Well that explained things. _"Bianca, Cheren, good to see you again!" the man said jovially.

"You too, professor!" Bianca chirped. "Professor, this is Christa."

"Lydia's daughter, of course. You two look so alike. Nice to meet you, Christa, but I'm afraid this is no time to chat. A bunch of thugs in gray uniforms just broke through the tower wall."

"How did we not see them…?" Delaney mumbled, more to herself than anyone else.

"It seems they were hiding in the water and in the trees around Dragonspiral," Professor Juniper stated. "Regardless, they're now in the tower. Brycen, the gym leader, followed them right in. I suppose you three are going as well?"

"Of course," Cheren answered quickly.

"Well, it's admirable for you to go in after them, but it's also risky…" the professor said hesitantly.

"Professor? Maybe I can stay back here with you?" Bianca questioned shyly. Cheren spun his head to look at her, clearly confused. "I'm… Well, I'm not as strong as Cheren or Christa, but my pokémon and I can protect you in case any of those Team Plasma members come back."

She could tell Cheren was about to protest Bianca staying behind, so Delaney spoke up before he could argue. "Bianca, I think that's a great idea. You could stop more grunts from entering so they can't swarm us."

"That certainly does make me feel safer!" Professor Juniper added, leaving Cheren no room to protest the decision.

"Well, I suppose…" he muttered, clearly not happy with the decision.

"Hey Christa!" a voice behind them shouted. Despite the distance still between them, Sawyer's auburn hair and green hoodie were dead giveaways of the boy. As he grew closer, Delaney could see her pink trainer's bag clutched tightly in his hand. She could also see that he was not alone.

"Look who I found!" Sawyer said when he caught up with them. Drew, the boy from Twist Mountain, was right at his heels. Paws the cubchoo grinned at her from his shoulder.

"Are they fighting with us?" Cheren asked, surveying the two.

"I don't know about him, but I'm sure as hell not fighting against you," Drew said with a grin. Sawyer chuckled as he handed the trainer's bag back over to Delaney, who placed it over her shoulder.

"Well, Christa, are you ready?" Sawyer said, raising his eyebrows at her.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

><p>Dragonspiral Tower was a place of legends. Ragged tapestries hung from the walls in shreds of fabric as if to symbolize the end of an era- this place was once majestic, but it was no longer. In fact, it was a wonder it hadn't sunk into the water long before. Delaney looked around in awe. It was quiet… Too quiet. Most definitely the calm before the storm.<p>

At least, it was quiet as far as Team Plasma was concerned. Sawyer was anything but quiet, but that wasn't exactly surprising. The auburn-haired boy was chatting to the other boys as they tried to figure a way to get up to the next level, as there was no staircase. What Sawyer was chattering about, Delaney had no idea, but she did hear some mention of the Mistralton gym leader, Skyla, and figured it was a guy thing and it was better not to ask.

Cheren very obviously couldn't care less about whatever Sawyer was talking about and had wandered away from the auburn-haired boy and Drew, mumbling to himself and pacing. Drew looked less than interested as well, seeing as how he was speaking in a low voice to Paws. The small bear pokémon nodded at him, and Drew grabbed a pokéball off of his belt and returned the cubchoo. Delaney definitely couldn't blame him- there were just too many ways that the little bear could get hurt in this tower. After a few moments, Cheren's eyes lit up and he hesitantly crossed over to a fallen pillar. The dark-haired boy began to climb and before Sawyer could even end his rambling, Cheren found himself climbing triumphantly across the pillar. "Christa, you can walk on these!" he called triumphantly. "I'm going to go find the gym leader. Maybe he needs help! I'll catch up with you later." And though Cheren had been so cautious to climb, he was now breaking into a run and he was out of the room before Delaney could even respond with anything more than a shaky "okay!"

Delaney looked at the fallen columns perhaps even more timidly. Her leg had been fine for the last few days, but that didn't mean that she was totally ready to be scaling fallen pillars in an ancient tower. "Hey, give me a second," Sawyer said as he too began to climb up. Once he had even footing on top of the column, he got down and extended a hand to Delaney. "Okay, D… darling," he stumbled, nearly forgetting that Drew wasn't in on Delaney being well, Delaney. "This should make it easier, right?"

She grabbed onto Sawyer's hand and began her trek up the column slowly. Her feet awkwardly found their places in the grooves of the column as Delaney slowly climbed. After a few minutes of timid baby steps up and whimpering, Sawyer finally jerked Delaney up onto the column. Only Drew was left on the ground, though that was remedied within a few short motions as Drew climbed at a rapid pace and pulled himself up. Delaney looked at him wide-eyed, and the shaggy-haired boy shrugged. "There's a lot of climbing to be done at Twist Mountain," he simply stated.

Not that Delaney had much interest in the climbing opportunities at Twist Mountain, considering the situation they were in. Though she wasn't running across the fallen columns like Cheren had, she was walking at a brisk pace. She knew she needed to find Team Plasma as soon as possible. Why did Ghetsis want her here? Why was N waiting for her?

* * *

><p>Perhaps an alarm should have gone off in Delaney's head as she headed up the stairs to find a sea of gray. There was barely enough room to breathe and Delaney couldn't even hear herself think over the sounds of the battling, the infinite chorus of voices and screeches and yelps of pokémon. It wasn't only Plasma's pokémon, though, that she could see. For the first time in a long time, she saw bronzors and croagunks and glameows. Team Galactic was there, and they were fighting alongside Team Plasma. The very sight made Delaney feel nauseous.<p>

Despite entering the tower a wise-cracking, rambling joker, Sawyer made an abrupt change at the sight of the battleground. It was clear to anyone entering the room what had to be done. "Go on ahead," he said quietly in her ear. "I have no idea what's going on with Team Plasma, but I'm sure it's nothing good. Drew and I will start trying to weed through these guys."

"Sawyer, are you-"

"Yes, I'm sure!" he said, cutting her off. "I don't think they're going to be particularly tough, but there are a lot of them, and we'll manage it. Plus, Brycen and Cheren are around here somewhere. Just go!"

So maybe the warning bell should have gone off upon entering the room, but really, it went off for Delaney as Sawyer shoved her into the crowd and she wondered where the laughing boy that had entered the tower had gone. She ran through the sea of gray to desperately try to find the stairs to head up. Sawyer and Drew became specks behind her; although they were loud specks- Delaney could hear Sawyer commanding his swanna even over the roar of the crowd. That at least made her feel a little better. They were more than capable of fighting the grunts, right?

A rough hand grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to turn around. An angry-looking middle-aged man in a Team Galactic uniform glared at her, and Delaney couldn't help but wonder if this man knew that she was not Christa White. Had Delaney battled him in Sinnoh? Had he been at Mount Coronet, or Lake Valor, or the Valley Windworks? Had she pushed him out of the running for a promotion, or had he been jailed because of her? It was hard to say- really, these grunts were just one of many to her. They were just little pebbles in the road of her journey.

"Answer me!" he yelled angrily.

"What?" Delaney asked, confused. She hadn't heard a word he said.

"I said, where do you think you're going, little girl?" he barked.

Before Delaney had a chance to answer, a vine struck him in the head and he was knocked out cold in front of Delaney. She cringed as she stepped over him and as she looked around desperately once more for the stairs, she caught the eye of a dark-haired boy with glasses commanding a green serpent who was striking a pack of watchogs with a strong vine attack. Cheren didn't try to speak to her, and he didn't need to- the look in his eyes said plenty. _Go on_, he urged, though he didn't say the words out loud.

She pushed her way through the crowd of grunts. Though she got many glares and strange looks, nobody dared to question or challenge her. After a couple of minutes of anxious searching, she finally found the stairs that led up and she headed up, taking the stairs two at a time. She was breathing heavily by the time she got to the top, but she kept her wits about her, as she was expecting to be ambushed the second she got to the next floor, but to her surprise, there was not a soul there but herself… Or at least, that's what it seemed.

As she cautiously stepped forward, the Shadow Triad was on her mind. She couldn't help but wonder- were they watching her now? How much did they know about her and what had they told Ghetsis? Did they know that she wasn't who she claimed to be, and if they did, did Ghetsis know as well?

Nothing stopped her as she strode towards the stairs and she made it up them without any issues. The next floor was just as deserted, but Delaney was even more paranoid than she had been before. Thinking of the crowded floor below where Cheren, Brycen, Sawyer and Drew fought, it seemed nearly impossible that there wasn't someone (or something, or three somethings that smelled what Delaney expected death to smell like) watching her every move and waiting for her to let her guard down for a split second so that they could attack. She reached into her bag without looking, making sure her eyes were on the path ahead of her so that nothing could surprise her. Her hand grabbed a pokéball- whose it was, she was unsure, though at this point, it didn't matter. All that mattered to her was that she was prepared.

She reached the stairs once again without sight of another person, though she was still convinced that someone was out there. As she climbed up the first stair, she realized where her inexplicable fear was coming from as she heard a load roar unlike anything she had ever heard before, followed by the sounds of what sounded like a riot. There was crashing- perhaps more columns were falling, perhaps there was a ferocious battle being waged, perhaps something was angry. Whatever it was, it made Delaney stop in her tracks and stare up at the ceiling in wonder. "What the fuck was that?" she muttered to herself. She couldn't answer, but she knew she had to stop it, whatever it was. She began to run up the stairs again, clutching the rusted railing as her leg throbbed in disagreement with her actions. Nothing was stopping her at this point though. Not her leg, not the Shadow Triad and not whatever had made that terrifying sound. Nothing.

Delaney's streak of luck ended when she got to the top of the stairs to find a group of four grunts, two Plasma and two Galactic, waiting for her. One of the Plasma grunts she recognized as Joshua, the boy with orange bangs sticking out from under the hood of the uniform. Delaney grimaced. "I so do not have time for this," she grumbled frustrated to herself.

"You dare think you can stop our king now?" asked the other Plasma grunt, a female with unruly golden curls poking out from beneath her uniform. "Didn't you hear the glorious noise earlier? He's awakened the legendary pokémon, Reshiram!"

_He's awakened the legendary pokémon… _Delaney had to admit, she felt like she had just been punched in the stomach. "N did what?" she cried weakly, her voice becoming shrill.

"That's right, you can't stop us now!" one of the Galactic grunts, a chubby young man with the ridiculous turquoise wig required of Team Galactic members. "Team Plasma and Team Galactic have united, and today, we take over the Unova region just as we did the Sinnoh region!"

A wave of nausea washed over Delaney. She couldn't even respond to the grunt. The last Galactic grunt chimed in, her high-pitched voice irritating Delaney more and more with each syllable she spoke. "What? Glameow got your tongue, girl?"

Delaney glared at the girl. "What makes you think somebody's not going to step in like they did before? How powerful was Galactic after Mount Coronet, _girl?_" Delaney asked, her voice dripping with venom.

"Well, Delaney Caldwell isn't here this time," the male Galactic grunt said snidely. "And who do you think is going to stop us this time? You? I bet you can't take all four of us at once!" And with that, he released a pair of croagunks.

"Oh this should be fun!" the female Plasma grunt squealed as she released a liepard that looked particularly bloodthirsty and a trubbish that looked weak in comparison.

With a smirk, the female Galactic grunt released a bronzor, glameow and stunky. Only Joshua, the male Plasma grunt, didn't move at all. "This is Christa White," he said, his voice lacking any sort of emotion. "Ghetsis asked for her to come here. He sent the Shadow Triad to get her."

"Because Lord N thinks she's some sort of hero as well, right?" his fellow Plasma grunt, the curly-haired blonde, asked. "Well, she's certainly no chosen one if she can't beat _us_! Think of it as us testing her to make sure she's worthy to see Lord N claim Unova as ours!"

"If she's as good as your king thinks she is, she'll beat us," the female Galactic member chimed in, and again, Delaney was filled with irritation at her voice alone. "If not, then we've rid ourselves of our main opposition. Nothing wrong with that, Plasma boy."

Joshua sighed and irately tossed out a pokéball and a few seconds later, a rather hulking darmanitan joined the group of grunt pokémon. He was clearly the biggest threat and Joshua was clearly the best trainer of the group, making him the one to take out.

"You have six pokémon. Why are you only letting out one? You could wreck her! There are no rules, kid," the male Galactic grunt asked, clearly frustrated with Joshua's lack of enthusiasm at bringing her down.

Before Joshua could answer though, Delaney cut in. "If you guys are done arguing, I'd like to kick some ass now," the brunette trainer said, rolling her eyes. She threw out the pokéball she had so desperately clutched before and within a few seconds, Synapse materialized in front of the group. Delaney reached into her bag and grabbed the pokèballs of the rest of her team, throwing them all out. These guys were really the least of her problems. She had to get upstairs, before N did something really drastic (though really, what was more drastic than awakening a legendary pokémon?).

Her pokémon seemed confused at first to all be out at the same time when they weren't getting ready to go to bed, but Perry seemed to get the situation and was seemingly giving some sort of orders to the rest. The five spread out in a radiocentric formation glaring at their opponents. "Well, come on with it!" the male Galactic grunt barked. "Venom, Toxi, start poison jabbing her pokémon till they can't move anymore!"

The female Galactic grunt's pokémon began to attack without orders; the bronzor releasing psywaves in Alec's direction (though thanks to the scrafty's dark-type, they did absolutely nothing), the glameow scratching at Tynamo viciously and the stunky releasing bursts of poisonous gases, not caring who he affected.

Tynamo successfully dodged most of the glameow's attacks, but accidentally swam directly into a cloud of gas released by stunky and turned a ghastly shade of green, clearly poisoned. This didn't stop the tynamo from releasing bursts of electricity in the direction of stunky and glameow. Marvel noticed her comrade was in trouble and formed a tag team with the eel pokémon. Bursts of lightning were fused with spurts of fire, and the glameow and stunky soon learned how it felt to be shocked and burned at the same time.

Meanwhile, the vicious liepard of the female Team Plasma was struggling to dig its oversized claws into anyone, as Alec was going blow for blow with the angry cat. Each move of the liepard was carefully blocked by the scrafty, which only infuriated Liepard further. Seeing as how Alec was also part dark-type, he was no stranger to the underhanded and sneaky ways of his opponent and was able to protect himself from any damage. The female Plasma grunt was growing just as irate as her pokémon. As she paced around the site of the battle, her hood came loose and her curls flew in all direction as she furiously tried to give orders to Liepard, all of which were deflected by Alec.

Synapse had her hands full with the two croagunks. Before the two had even been able to move, she had shot off a powerful psyshock attack that had knocked out the trubbish instantly. She wasn't nearly so lucky with the croagunks though. While she was attempting to avoid their poisonous punches (and succeeding, to some extent), they were still landing quite a few. Perry was attempting to help her out and spray the two fighters with scalding hot water, but they were fast enough to dodge the bursts of water. One spray caught the female Galactic grunt, who screeched in pain. She tore off the jacket part of her uniform and Delaney couldn't help but notice as she stood there in her black tank top and uniform pants that the jacket had done little to take damage for her; her arms and chest were a furious red color and beginning to blister. She glared at Delaney accusingly, but the brunette, who wasn't even giving direct orders to her pokémon, just stared at her wide-eyed. "No rules, right?" she said, echoing the words of the girl's fellow Galactic grunt. Delaney felt slightly guilty, seeing how ugly the girl's skin was turning within just a few minutes of being hit by Perry's scald attack, but it wasn't like she had told Perry to attack the girl. Perry hadn't even meant to; he had been trying to hit the croagunks.

Curiously enough, though, Joshua and his darmanitan didn't join in the fighting. The hulking orange beast of a fire pokémon stayed right by his trainer, who just looked on with a blank expression on his face. His eyes caught Delaney's, but still, he did nothing. With Perry preoccupied with helping Synapse, it would be easy for the darmanitan to go after the samurott, who, as a water-type, clearly posed the biggest threat to him, but instead, he stayed calmly by Joshua. An odd sight indeed.

Delaney stood there watching, not reacting, until she noticed that there were no more sparks shooting up from the battlefield. Tynamo was no longer gliding through the air, but instead, lying twitching on the ground. The poison had affected the eel pokémon badly. Delaney rushed to her side with her bag. "I'm sorry, little one," she said quietly, as she searched through her bag for something to give her. The only thing in there that could help was a stray pecha berry that she must've gotten from somebody, but pecha berries were for curing poison, right? "Nibble on this," Delaney told the tynamo, holding the berry in her palm. Tynamo looked at Delaney with a reluctant glance, as if she didn't want anything, but Delaney held the berry out even more insistently. "Please? It will make you feel better, I think," she said. The small eel took a couple of bites of the small berry. Luckily, it was quite soft and if Delaney was remembering correctly, quite sweet, and so it wasn't hard for Tynamo to get down. Within a few moments, her small body was no longer discolored and the twitching stopped, though she was still not strong enough to lift herself off the ground. "I think you're done," Delaney said quietly. "Thank you for your help." With those words, she grabbed Tynamo's pokéball and recalled the small eel.

As Delaney looked back up at the battlefield, she found that things had changed rather drastically from when she had last paid attention. Perry was involved in all-out war with the darmanitan, though they were pretty evenly matched despite Perry's type advantage. For each burst of scalding water Perry released, Darmanitan let loose with a flurry of powerful headbutts and punches, which would cut the spray off short, as Perry would care less about attacking and more about defending.

With Perry's help, one of the croagunks was now gone, but without the assistance of the samurott, Synapse was having troubles with the final croagunk. She released powerful sparks of psychic energy, and though they considerably weakened the croagunk whenever they hit, the problem was that they didn't hit very often.

Alec had finally given up on his defensive stance, but now the liepard was vengefully enacting the same punishment on its fellow dark-type pokémon. Not a single blow landed on the liepard, who was masterfully dodging each one. The female Plasma grunt had given up on trying to command her pokémon and was instead trying to help the female Galactic grunt tend to her burns.

The glameow had fainted long ago, but stunky was still stubbornly releasing its noxious fumes into the air. He was weak, very weak, but he refused to give up and the female Galactic grunt wasn't paying a bit of attention to him or the battle to know to recall him, so he continued to battle on. Marvel wasn't doing so well. Her bursts of fire were considerably weaker without the power of Tynamo's spark to amp them up, and the bronzor she had targeted was the healthiest of all of the pokémon, seeing as how she wasn't affected by Stunky's gases.

Within a couple of moments, Delaney had to go over and recall Marvel, who was just simply exhausted from fighting several pokémon at once. Synapse looked like she was heading into the same territory. Finally, in an act of desperation, the psychic pokémon put up a reflective shield in order to attempt to protect her from some of the blows from croagunk. Finding that he was punching just as hard as before but doing only half of the damage, the frustrated croagunk began punching harder, though it did him little good. It didn't take long before Croagunk collapsed in exhaustion and had to be recalled by his trainer. Though Synapse was in no better condition than she had been, she took it upon herself to take on the bronzor, who was still shooting off his psychic waves at Delaney's pokémon.

It was this action of Synapse's that made Delaney call out her first real command of the battle. Synapse was considerably weakened, but Bronzor was still in good health. There had to be some way to reconcile this… "Pain Split, Synapse!" Delaney called. Synapse turned her head towards Delaney and nodded. Her light green body glowed and a burst of energy hit Bronzor. The steel pokémon didn't seem greatly affected by the move, but it had still done at least some damage, and Synapse was looking quite a bit stronger and more confident.

The fighting between Darmanitan and Perry had taken an ugly turn, as the brutish fire-type had delivered a painful thrashing to the samurott, who was now spraying gusts of scalding water in all directions to try to hit Darmanitan. The grunts had backed away, weary after what had happened to the female Galactic grunt.

Stunky had finally collapsed on the battlefield, unable to continue on. The liepard, too, lay in a heap on the ground, finally unable to dodge a powerful blow from Alec. The fighting-type had immediately gone over to where Darmanitan and Perry were fighting to help out the considerably weakened samurott, but Alec hadn't taken into account the brutal strength of the darmanitan. Darmanitan, in return, hadn't counted on the scrappy and fast Scrafty to come to the aid of his comrade.

With Alec, Perry and Darmanitan all nearly equal in strength, and Bronzor and Synapse both unable to do much damage considering that neither of the psychic attacks were doing much damage to each other, it seemed like the two fights would continue forever, which wasn't good considering Delaney had a certain green-haired young man and legendary pokémon to deal with upstairs. She didn't have nearly enough supplies to fully heal her fallen pokémon and she was afraid to use what little she did have, considering she didn't really know what to expect upstairs, where she might need them even more direly.

Out of nowhere, a powerful burst of fire shot through the air and hit the bronzor dead on and within a few seconds of being hit by the blaze, the bronzor tumbled ungracefully out of the air and landed on the ground next to the stunky with an unceremonial _thump_.

The current inhabitants of the room looked around wildly to find out where the blaze had come from, and Delaney grinned as her eyes settled on Sawyer standing triumphantly by the entrance of the room, his semisear at his side. Cheren, Drew and Brycen all stumbled into the room behind him. "Christa!" Drew called and he ran to her side. "Do you have other pokémon besides the ones out there?"

"Yeah, my tynamo and litwick are hurt pretty badly," she said, grimacing.

Wordlessly, he pulled out several potion bottles. Delaney released Tynamo first, as she had been pretty brutally ravaged by Stunky's noxious fumes. Drew gave her the first bottle and within seconds, she perked up. Her small, lithe body rose up once again and she happily glided in circles, pleased to be feeling better. "I'm going to need you soon," Delaney told her and Tynamo squealed as if in agreement or understanding, or maybe some combination of the two. She recalled the eel pokémon and then tossed Drew Marvel's pokéball.

She turned back to the battlefield. Cheren, too, had pulled out several bottles of medicine and was treating Synapse and nodding, probably because Synapse was communicating with him as he healed her. She had to chuckle at her pokemon's chatterbox tendencies. Meanwhile, Sawyer had interrupted the fight between Darmanitan, Alec and Samurott and was now attacking Darmanitan furiously with a large, angry-looking swanna. Joshua hardly noticed that Darmanitan was under attack, though, because Brycen had strode over to him and began to take on the rest of his team with the ice-type pokémon that Delaney had beat only hours before. The brunette trainer caught sight of the demonic-looking snowflake shooting a powerful beam of ice at a muscular scrafty, who was much larger than Alec.

"Christa, what is your litwick's name?" Drew asked. Delaney turned around to answer, only to find that Marvel was shooting off small, weak bursts of flame at Drew and glaring at him whenever he tried to touch her.

"Her name is Marvel," she said softly and he looked up at her with wide eyes. "And cut that out," she added to the litwick. "Drew is trying to heal you, so be nice."

Marvel still wasn't happy, but she allowed Drew to tend to her wounds after Delaney had made it clear that he was friend, not foe. On the field, Cheren was now tending to Perry and Alec as Synapse had gone to help Sawyer fight Darmanitan.

It didn't take much longer for Darmanitan to fall under the combined power of a newly healed Synapse and the oddly large swanna. Delaney strode through the battlefield, recalling her pokémon now that they were all healed and hopefully ready for battle. None of the grunts were paying attention anymore- the two female grunts were now trying to treat the Galactic girl's very blistered legs and the male Galactic grunt was in the corner on a Crosstransceiver, probably talking to Ghetsis or one of the other men that called themselves 'sages'. Joshua still battled with Brycen, who was having a hard time against the grunt.

Delaney took this as her chance to ascend to the top of the tower. With any luck, maybe N wouldn't have left already. She grabbed her bag, where her pokémon were now laying in wait, and began to run towards the stairs. Nobody made any motion to stop her, though the male grunt turned his head sharply towards her. "We have reinforcements coming!" he yelled. Delaney snapped her head back to look at him. "You'll never succeed!"

As she turned her head back around, she caught the eye of a triumphant Sawyer, who began to head to the stairs as well. Despite the fact that she would rather have Sawyer not involved in this, she knew she could never talk him into leaving, and so he would be going up with her. Drew stayed where he had sat healing Marvel, and so Delaney figured she didn't have to worry about him- hopefully he would stay here and help out Brycen. It was Cheren now that she had to worry about. He was standing now and striding purposefully towards Delaney, but she hated the thought of him going up there and having to deal with this. He didn't have to be involved. He could leave and continue on his journey.

Delaney began to go up the steps, a pit in her stomach growing larger with each step she took. Something was telling her that there was no way this could end well.

There were four more steps to take.

Cheren was uncharacteristically excited, a light shining behind his dark eyes. Where the serious and levelheaded boy that Delaney had gotten to know over the course of her Unovan journey had gone, she had no clue. "Did you see the way Brycen took out that scrafty?" he asked her. "And Christa, I was wrong about you. The way your pokémon-"

"Cheren," Delaney began.

He paid no mind. "And the way Sawyer took out that bronzor. I've read a lot about bronzor you know-"

"CHEREN," Delaney yelled, cutting him off. She wasn't sure which was more annoying- snarky know-it-all Cheren or eager Cheren. Though usually the boy was extremely sensible, for some reason, he was behaving like an excitable child who didn't quite grasp the gravity of the situation, which was grating Delaney's nerves. She couldn't help but think that talking to Cheren in this state was more than a little like talking to N. Delaney stopped on the second to last stair before reaching the top of the tower, blocking Cheren from climbing up any further. The dark-haired boy looked at her, wide-eyed, as if surprised that she could be anything less than absolutely stoked. "I get that you're really excited, I really do…"

"This is awesome!" he exclaimed. "This is what strength is all about. This must be how Delaney Caldwell felt fighting Team Galactic."

"I'm sure it wasn't," she said shortly. "Listen, I want you to make me a promise, okay?"

"That depends on what you want me to do," he said, narrowing his eyes at the brunette. He had seamlessly transitioned back into his serious self.

"When we get to the top of this tower, I want you to get on your unfezant and fly back down."

"Are you crazy?" Cheren shouted. "We can take down Team Plasma right here and now! You're a tough trainer, Christa, and so am I and-"

The dull ache residing behind her temples since first stepping foot into the tower throbbed angrily and Delaney winced. That strange feeling that had followed her through floors of Team Plasma and Galactic grunts was finally beginning to make sense now that Cheren had put a voice to her concerns.

Something about this felt an awful lot like the end.

After a moment of awkward silence, Delaney finally shook her head. "No, we can't," she said quietly. "There's too many of them. It's not going to happen, Cheren."

"But Brycen and Drew are just downstairs!" he argued. "Between the five of us-"

"We can't do it," she said curtly. "Not now at least. That grunt just called for reinforcements. Just promise me you'll do that, Cheren. Go get help. We're going to need it."

"I'm not promising anything," the dark-haired boy said stubbornly. "And we are going to beat them. You just need to believe in yourself, Christa."

"Delaney!" she heard from the bottom of the staircase. Slowly but surely, Sawyer was running to catch up with the two.

"Delaney Caldwell is here?" Cheren said, eyes widening. He shot a triumphant grin at Delaney. "I told you we had nothing to worry about." Delaney shot a glare down at Sawyer, who cringed.

"Oh, right, we didn't tell him…" Sawyer said with a grimace. "Oh well, we'll straighten things out later. The grunts downstairs have dispersed. I don't know where they're going, but Ghetsis has had them move to another location. Not that they could do much considering their pokémon were all defeated… But Brycen is going to try to get a better lock on their location."

Delaney cringed. Had the threat of reinforcements been a lie, or were they just replaced the exhausted and battle-wounded grunts with ones ready to fight?

"We should probably get up there," Sawyer said pointedly. "For all we know, N could have left with the legendary pokémon already."

Delaney nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

"Wait! What about Delaney?" Cheren asked, though he followed suit and began climbing stairs to the top.

As Delaney climbed the final stair, she turned her head slightly to look back at Cheren. "I'm Delaney, Cheren." It was ridiculous how much it seemed like she was talking to an unreasonable child. Cheren was usually so levelheaded and stoic, but for some reason, he was being remarkably stubborn. "Now get your unfezant ready and go get help. Please."

She didn't keep her head turned long enough to gauge Cheren's reaction, though she could just imagine the look on his face. As soon as she stepped out onto the roof of the tower, she was confronted with a large blow of wind nearly strong enough to blow her right back down the stairs. She scurried quickly behind a piece of fallen column. The rock was heavy enough to keep some of the wind away from her, though within moments, the wind became the least of her problems.

She was vaguely aware of Sawyer grabbing her arm as an almost unbearable heat took over, making the air so dry; it was nearly hard to breathe. Delaney buried her face in Sawyer's sweater so that she didn't have to breathe it in directly. Behind her, she heard a faint flapping of wings and when she looked back, Cheren was gone. She gave a slight sigh of relief, knowing that at least one person she cared about was out of harm's way now- and hopefully, he could grab somebody that could help. If she could have her way, Sawyer would be gone as well and back in the safety of Mistralton City, though she knew he was going to be there until the bitter end.

Standing off to the side was, of course, N. His mint green hair was plastered to his forehead and the back of his neck from sweat and beads of moisture dripped from his pores, but his eyes shone with anticipation. He was standing next to the great legendary, Reshiram. He had really done it.

And she had been too late to stop him.

Could she have prevented this if she hadn't stopped on the stairs to try and coax Cheren to leave? If she had battled her way harder through the grunts that had ganged up on her? All of the opportunities she had been given to try to convince N that he was wrong, that not all people were bad and hurt pokémon, she had wasted them, instead telling N that he was crazy, all because she was too shortsighted to see the big picture…

N wasn't crazy. He was passionate. He truly believed in what he said. He had dreams, big dreams, and was willing to do whatever it took to make those dreams a reality. There was nothing more terrifying than that.

Despite knowing what was going on, N stared up at the pokémon with as much amazement and terror as Delaney. Fear was unmistakably present in his wide green eyes. He knew what was going on, but he didn't know. He couldn't see the big picture either, because he wasn't the one masterminding this. Delaney knew that now. All along she had been worried about stopping N, but she should have realized that N was not behind this. It was the man standing off to the side with the group of 'sages', a smile on his face bigger than a gengar's. It was Ghetsis that had been behind all of the Team Plasma nonsense from the beginning, and N had been just his pawn.

_And you could have stopped that. You could have stopped all of this._

In front of them all stood a towering white dragon, its features alternating between mammalian and bird-like. It seemed to be covered in white feathers and it had wings, though its snout seemed more canine-like than anything. The snout of this beast was the least of her worries though- she was far more focus on its jet-powered tail and the flames powering the beast. It had to be at least part fire-type. The great beast let out yet another roar, and just like before, Delaney just stared wide-eyed as the bottom dropped out of her stomach and chills ran up and down her spine.

She was so enraptured by the magnificent pokémon in front of her that she had failed to notice another person join the scene on the rooftop until she heard one sole person begin to clap. Her eyes roamed around relentlessly until they settled upon a culprit.

His spiky blue hair seemed shorter than the last time she had set eyes on him. He seemed older, with bags under his eyes and lines appearing by his mouth- certainly not laugh lines, but lines all the same. Gone was the ridiculous Team Galactic jumpsuit that he had once worn. In its place were black pants and a black button-down shirt. He looked professional, like the head of a business rather than a crime syndicate, but even in plain clothes instead of a uniform, the very sight of him made Delaney freeze on the spot. "Why, Miss Delaney Caldwell, how lovely of you to join us," he said with a sneer.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (624/12):** This chapter took me longer than I intended, and for that, I apologize, and also, thanks for your patience! I know I said on my profile that this would be posted tomorrow (Monday the 25th) but I decided to post a bit earlier since it's been awhile since the last chapter.

Without a doubt, chapter 22 (the final chapter) will be posted on Wednesday, the 27th, so if you don't have this on some sort of alert, just know that you can expect the final chapter then.

Next week (or maybe the week after, if I need a bit more time to do some last-minute planning), you can also begin looking for the sequel, which will be titled **Set Yourself on Fire**. It is more than likely going to be a bit longer than this story... And no, I'm not going to give you spoilers. Details will be released this next weekend on my profile page. (:

Big thank you to **ej92** for allowing me to use the character Joshua, and an even bigger thank you to my wonderful friend and beta, **Noteleks**. But of course, the biggest thank you goes to you (yes, you!) for reading this. You are so appreciated.

Lastly, if you have submitted an OC for the sequel, you will be hearing follow-up questions from me at some point next week. If you haven't yet submitted an OC and you would like to, you are still absolutely welcome to- I haven't even began trying to make a decision yet.

See you Wednesday, lovely readers! (:

~DAT


	22. 22: I Was Not Magnificent

**Chapter 22: I Was Not Magnificent**

So he knew. Of course he knew. Cyrus knew everything. The only one who seemed surprised by this greeting was N, whose eyes had just gotten even wider, if possible. "You're Delaney Caldwell?" he asked. "Of course you're a chosen one then! You just need to find the Dark-"

"That's enough," Ghetsis said sharply, grabbing N's arm so roughly that Delaney winced just watching the two. Now that Cyrus had shown up, patience had worn thin. The older man dragged N towards the beast. "It's time that we begin to plan out what is to come," he said towards the teen. "Reshiram, here is your chosen one! The king of Team Plasma!" he bellowed, his voice echoing over the treetops below. He turned from the legendary pokemon to the sages, who stood cowering in awe (and more than likely, fear). "Let this day be remembered everywhere as the day that Team Plasma liberated the land of Unova from the cruel trainers who insisted on enslaving pokemon! Lord N, go to the Pokemon League and let your power be known by all!"

Delaney couldn't bring herself to try to stop them, especially when the pokemon nodded at N and allowed him to climb on his back. She had failed. Team Plasma was in control of the legendary pokemon, N was going to challenge the Pokemon League and certainly, this meant the end of all that was good in Unova.

For some reason, all Delaney could think of as she watched Reshiram leave with N on its back was Bacon. Not the meat, but the pokémon Bianca had received from Professor Juniper. Certainly it was an emboar now, and no longer a small, smiling little pig, but all the same, Delaney couldn't get the image of him out of her head. That pokémon that had weaved in and out of Bianca's legs and caused her to trip as they ran through the streets of Striaton, who had looked up at Bianca so adoringly even though Delaney had thoroughly trumped them. Team Plasma was going to take him, or at the very least, make Bianca release him.

"Follow your king and make sure no harm comes to him," Ghetsis ordered the sages. "And make sure the grunts know to do the same. Your work here is done." _But clearly his was not._

The sages arranged themselves in a straight line and began to walk towards the staircase, passing Delaney and Sawyer in the process. If she had really wanted to, she could've grabbed Sawyer and ran down the stairs and hopefully out of the tower before either Ghetsis or Cyrus could do anything. In actuality, it wasn't choice that kept Delaney partially hidden behind the fallen column, but fear. A few of the sages passing smirked at Delaney, clearly recognizing the trainer that had previously been besting Team Plasma and glad that she had finally been stopped.

The top of the tower was eerie now with just the four of them standing there. The heat had died down with Reshiram gone, though it seemed just as hard to breathe. There was far too much empty space and far too much quiet. At this point, Delaney would've expected Sawyer to speak, seeing as how he hated awkward silences, but he seemed to be waiting for Delaney to say something. Delaney tried to swallow, tried to clear her throat, tried desperately to do anything other than just stand there looking petrified, but she was finding it hard to move, or speak, or even think.

"I thought you were supposed to be in Sinnoh," Delaney said, when she could finally bring herself to speak.

"Actually, I'm supposed to be in prison, but I'm sure you've guessed by now that I don't do what I'm supposed to," Cyrus replied. "Though you can't really say much when it comes to being where you're supposed to be. According to the news, _you_ are supposed to be training in Sinnoh, not hiding out in Unova, but I guess _Commander Saturn_ is rather persuasive," he said, putting extra emphasis on the title of his former second in command, "so it's no surprise that you've decided to journey here instead."

Delaney's face flushed. What did he know about Alex? Had Alex decided to stay with Galactic after all? Was he going to walk out next? Would he be wearing that ridiculous Galactic costume and wig? "I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, though the only one who could really hear her was Sawyer.

"Commander Saturn?" he asked her quietly. Cyrus spoke again before she had a chance to respond.

"You know, it's truly a shame, Miss Caldwell," he said, beginning to pace. "When it comes to raw talent as a trainer, you're nearly unsurpassed. It really is unfortunate that such a shallow thing like emotion has to come into play as well. You would undoubtedly be even stronger if you hadn't let your little _fling_ with Alex get in the way." He stopped pacing as he stood in front of the pillar Delaney and Sawyer were standing behind. "It's such a tragic story, isn't it, Delaney? I genuinely hope you weren't under the impression that I didn't know. Alex, you knew better than to think you were getting one by me, didn't you?"

Delaney's eyes searched around wildly, searching for the dark hair and blue eyes of Alex Avery, but she saw nobody. The only others at the top of the tower were Sawyer and Ghetsis. "You're full of shit," Delaney spat at Cyrus. Alex wasn't there. Alex had probably never been in Unova to begin with.

"Such improper words for a lady," Cyrus scolded lightly. "Alex, your pretty little girlfriend needs a few lessons in etiquette."

"What are you talking about?" Delaney asked through gritted teeth, standing up and glaring at Cyrus. "Nobody is here but us."

A thought suddenly crossed her mind and Delaney looked down at the auburn-haired boy who had become her closest companion. Had running into him been a coincidence, or had he been waiting for her? Could this really be…?

Sawyer caught Delaney's wide-eyed stare. "Delaney, I don't know what you're thinking, but it's probably wrong."

Cyrus shook his head. "Oh Miss Delaney, so naïve. I wasn't talking about your friend Sawyer here." His eyes looked past Delaney, towards the entrance to the staircase. "_Commander Saturn_," he called icily. "Be a man, show yourself."

Delaney whipped her head around to see… Absolutely nothing. Had Cyrus gone crazy in prison? Was he seeing things?

And then there was a bit of movement. A foot stepping out from behind a column, and then a hand, and then a head full of shaggy light-brown hair and then Drew was standing there, looking all too much like a ghost. The bottom once again dropped out of Delaney's stomach as she stared at him, her breath caught in her throat.

She knew it. She had known it since the moment they met, but she had convinced herself that he only reminded her of Alex because she had been searching for Alex around every corner and seeing him in everyone she encountered. Because she had convinced herself she was wrong, she had ignored the little details that had proven his real identity. _I met her once when I was passing through Nuvema… _Like when he had gotten her oshawott. _You seem really familiar… Maybe we've met somewhere else then._ Somewhere else like Sinnoh? _My first pokemon was a psychic-type…_ He had a bronzor when she battled him… "Arceus…" she said under her breath.

"Nice of you to make an appearance, Alex," Cyrus said snidely. "I haven't seen you in quite a long time, old friend."

Delaney wasn't even thinking when she lashed out and her hands grabbed face and hair and nails scratched skin and Delaney was yelling and her words weren't even making sense to her. Cyrus let her have a moment before he threw her off of him and she slammed backwards and fell to the ground. Both Sawyer and Drew (sorry, Sawyer and _Alex_) rushed to her side, but she could hardly focus on them. She was so angry that she could hardly breathe.

The spiky blue hair was now wild and a few scratches covered his face; the most prominent one, a slash by his right eye, was bleeding. Still, he looked quite amused. "Miss Caldwell, you should really learn to control your temper," he said, that same damn devilish smirk on his face.

"You should really just go fuck yourself," she spat, breathing heavily.

"Hey, calm down," Alex said softly in her ear. _How had she not recognized his voice? How had she not known?_

She turned her focus away from Cyrus and turned glaring icily at Alex. "Why didn't you tell me? We walked all throughout that damn cave for hours. I stayed in your cabin. I played with your pokemon. Somewhere in that time, you couldn't turn to me and say, oh yeah, by the way, it's me, Alex?"

"You were so focused on your journey," he said, quietly pleading with her. "You were doing so well. It wouldn't have done you any good to have me distracting you like I was in Sinnoh."

"You distracted me anyways, and you didn't even have to be there for that!" she exclaimed angrily. "You told me to come to Unova to find you so I did! I looked everywhere for you!"

"Oh isn't this precious," Cyrus said mockingly.

For a split second, Delaney had completely forgotten he was there. She turned back towards him and stood back up. "And you knew, didn't you? You knew where he was the whole time… And you knew where I was the whole time."

"Well, Miss Caldwell, you made it easy for me," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Christa White has been all over the news, the savior of Unova from big, bad Team Plasma. Did you honestly think I wouldn't recognize you just because you put dye in your hair and got colored contacts?"

Delaney was at a loss. She couldn't believe how stupid the idea had been. Of course Cyrus would have recognized her despite the hair color and eye color. She was still fundamentally the same person and the fact that she had been in the news for fighting yet another villainous team (despite the fact that she hadn't wanted to in the beginning)? She might as well have just called and invited Cyrus out for ice cream. She hadn't fooled him. She hadn't fooled anyone.

"What about you?" Sawyer said, finally speaking up. His words were aimed at Ghetsis. "How did you get involved in this?"

"Ghetsis and I-" Cyrus began.

"I was talking to _him_," Sawyer interrupted pointedly.

"I'd watch it if I were you, Mr. Hale," Cyrus said snidely. "I don't know if you know this, but most people who hang around with Delaney Caldwell end up hurt. You wouldn't want to be one of them, would you?"

Sawyer swallowed hard, but continued to glare at Cyrus. "How did you get involved in this?" Sawyer repeated through gritted teeth.

"I knew Cyrus was a kindred spirit when I saw him in the crowd at our speech in Opelucid," Ghetsis said simply. "We share many of the same… ideals. It didn't take us long to realize that a partnership would be highly beneficial to both of us. With both Unova and Sinnoh under our command, I would be allowed the control I desire, with nobody able to use pokemon but us, and Cyrus would be allowed to continue in his ideals of creating a more perfect world."

Delaney clenched her fist and took a step forward, but before she could do anything, she felt a hand on her forearm. _Alex._ Delaney took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Flying into a rage would help nobody. "So how did you find me then? And how did you find Alex?" she asked Cyrus.

"Awhile back, a few of my grunts went to see if you could possibly just be hiding out in your little mansion," he began.

Sawyer whirled back and looked at Delaney, an eyebrow raised. "Really, a mansion?"

Delaney shot Sawyer a look. Definitely not the time. "Yes, I remember this. They assaulted my father."

"I'm sure the great Blake 'Backlot' Caldwell was just fine," Cyrus said snidely. "One of my grunts happened to make his way into your room, where you had very poorly hidden a letter under your mattress, signed A."

"Under the mattress, Del?" Alex asked with an eyebrow raise. He and Sawyer exchanged a look over her head. Delaney sighed. Cyrus was not amused.

"_A_ told you to go to Unova and I knew you would listen. Once I was here, it was simple to find you. You were everywhere." Cyrus seemed to be growing impatient, though why, Delaney wasn't sure. What did he have planned?

"But how-" Alex began.

"Alexander, you came right to me, right here to Dragonspiral Tower," Cyrus said plainly. "I've seen you in a million different disguises. Of course I knew who you were. You were my second in-command. Team Galactic was all yours after they caught me… And you ruined it."

Delaney's eyes widened in surprise and she whirled around to look at Alex. "What did you do?"

"He destroyed all of our bases," Cyrus said, venom coming into his voice. "All of our money- gone. What did you do with it, boy?"

"Burned it," Alex said, his face portraying no emotion. "I didn't want it."

"You could have saved us," Cyrus said, anger filling his features. Cyrus was usually so calm, so emotionless, that his anger was beginning to frighten Delaney. "You threw away everything I worked so hard for and for what? For _her?_" He took a step forward and instinctively, Delaney took a step back, bumping into Alex.

"I did it for me," Alex said, swallowing hard.

"You did it because _this girl_," he spat, taking another step towards Delaney, "convinced you that you were more than the pathetic piece of shit you really are."

"Stop it," Delaney said fiercely, but now that Cyrus was fuming, there was no stopping him.

"You're no better than I am, _Commander Saturn_. You've stolen, you've beaten, you've _killed, _and all for the sake of Team Galactic. You think destroying some machines and burning some money makes you a better man? Team Galactic is back and stronger than ever, boy. You did nothing to stop it. You failed. How does that feel, Alex?"

Alex didn't respond, though his face still remained completely neutral. His dispassionate response at least offered Cyrus none of the satisfaction of knowing that he had torn Alex down. Finally, he muttered something, though his words were so quiet that even Delaney, who was literally smashed up against him, couldn't understand what he said.

"Speak up, boy," Cyrus said, the rage finally leaving his face. He wore an expression of detachment, though Delaney knew he had to still be seething. It had to anger him even further that he had shown such emotion.

"I'm not Commander Saturn. I'm Alex," he said quietly, though less mumbled than before. His eyes shone with fury, but he was refusing to let Cyrus see how much the man was affecting him.

"You'll never get rid of him," Cyrus said with a slight smirk. "You're no misunderstood hero, Alexander. You're a criminal. Don't tell me you've forgotten about the little girl in Jubilife City. Or what about Lake Valor, Alex? Have you forgotten about that yet?"

Delaney's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Lake Valor. She would never forget that day, even if she wanted to. And just as she was haunted by it, Alex was as well, because finally, he snapped, pushing Delaney off to the side and lunging at Cyrus just as she had earlier.

Though with Alex, Cyrus wouldn't tolerate that sort of behavior and he immediately tossed him to the ground. She could tell by the way that Alex didn't immediately get up that Cyrus had not been gentle with him. She and Sawyer both stepped forward to go to him, but Cyrus turned sharply to them. "Don't."

Alex pushed himself up. He glared at Cyrus, those deep blue eyes full of hatred. "I did all of that because you told me to," he said quietly. "I looked to you for guidance. I thought you were leading me in the right direction."

"I never led you in the _wrong_ direction," Cyrus retorted. "You, too, wanted a world without emotion. I led you in that direction and you were all too willing to go."

Alex had no response to that as he still sat on the ground. His cheek was bleeding from where it had made contact with the rough stone. Despite the earlier warning of Cyrus, Delaney took a step forward towards Alex. "You're a sick man," she muttered to Cyrus, her voice low.

"Delaney, my dear, you have no idea," Cyrus said with a smirk. He took a step forward towards the brunette trainer. "In fact, I think it's time I show you how sick I am." He closed the gap between himself and the brunette trainer with one more swift step forward. She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach and her heart began to beat rapidly. She hated to admit it, but Delaney was genuinely afraid. She had seen what Cyrus was capable of and there was no telling what he would do now. She took a step back to get away from him, but he took another step forward.

"Back the hell off!" Sawyer growled.

"Mr. Hale, I would keep calm if I were you," Ghetsis said with a wicked little smile. For almost the entirety of their time, he had been content to relegate himself to the sidelines, an attentive audience member in the drama that had been unfolding. Now, apparently, was where he came back in.

A nervous Delaney took another step back away from the menacing blue-haired man, but again, he took a step forward, determined to continue to instill fear in her. "You must be quite pleased with yourself, Miss Caldwell," Cyrus said coolly. His voice never raised, calm as ever, but his eyes told a different story. "The hero of Sinnoh- that was you, right? Do you feel like a hero now?" She wanted to take another step back, but she was on the very edge of the tower. If she was to move even another inch backwards, she would fall straight off the edge of Dragonspiral Tower.

Delaney didn't even have a chance to say no before Alex once again pounced on him, his fingers desperately reaching around to try to jam themselves in his eyes. Cyrus was definitely surprised, but he regained his composure quickly and whirled around and grabbed him by the neck of his shirt. The blue-haired man didn't say anything before releasing Alex from his grasp.

He didn't even get a chance to scream before Cyrus shoved him off of the tower.

But Delaney did. Delaney couldn't help but scream as she lunged forward, tackling Cyrus at the knees. His knees buckled from beneath him and he lost his balance, toppling to the ground. It was more instinct than anything; she knew that if she had stayed still, she would've been the next one to go over the side. Her knees were skinned and bleeding from landing on them after pushing herself forward, but really, that was the least of her worries now. Team Galactic was in Unova, they were now unified with Team Plasma, N was now in control of a legendary pokemon and Alex was dead. _Alex was dead- _and it was her fault. Cyrus had been going after _her_.

Predictably, he was not incredibly pleased with her actions as he glared down at her with hatred burning in his eyes. "Tell me, Delaney, are you always going to have others fight your battles? What's next, is your pal Sawyer over there going to try to attack me too? How many will pay the consequences of your actions, Miss Caldwell?"

Sawyer was rooted to the spot, too shocked to speak. Not that Delaney could blame him- everything seemed so unreal. She could hardly move either; her limbs each seemed to weigh a ton and her head spun. Cyrus was still talking, but she didn't hear a word. Sawyer seemed rapt with attention though, his eyes focused on Cyrus.

_…Or something behind Cyrus. _She was still in a daze, but her periphery caught the sight of wings flapping and black hair blowing in the wind. Ghetsis was yelling angrily and Cyrus was fuming and Sawyer was finally moving and grabbing her hand and this all was a dream, right? She was still sleeping on that cot in the cabin in Twist Mountain, right? There was no way that this could be real, that Cyrus was here and Alex had once been here, but was now dead. He was just still hiding out in Unova. He wanted her to come find him.

She couldn't understand the words that were coming out of Cheren's mouth as he yelled at her and held out a hand to help her get on his unfezant. He was waiting for her and Sawyer was waiting for her and there was yelling and anger, but it all just blurred together. Icirrus was down below and they were going to fly to safety, and there were lights.

Or maybe she was just hoping there was light. Maybe she would step forward and she would fall just like Alex had.

There was only one way to find out.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (0627/12): **Approximately a year ago, I decided to sit down and write my first chapter of fan fiction in several years. I fell in love with the story and the characters and soon, that single chapter became this huge story. Thank you all for enabling me to tell Delaney's story.

Not that it's over, of course, because in about a week, the first chapter of **Set Yourself on Fire** will be posted. As far as OC's go, I will more than likely be sending out follow-up questions no later than Tuesday, the 3rd. That is the official deadline to get OC's to me, so if you haven't yet done one and would like to, make sure it is in my inbox no later than Tuesday.

A huge thank you to **Noteleks**, my friend and beta, and an even larger thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read any part of this story. You are _so_ appreciated.

~DarkAngelTorchic


	23. Important update for TCatG readers

Long time no see, TCatG readers! While this is not a new chapter of either this story or its sequel, _Set Yourself on Fire_, it is an announcement that is just as important. Why?

After months of deliberation, I have decided I will not finish _Set Yourself on Fire_. In all honesty, I couldn't if I tried. Despite the fact that I have a very detailed outline, I am 110% stuck and I'm pretty sure that's not going to change. However, since I have had time to get back to toying with my writing, I have found myself thinking of all of the things I could've done differently in both stories. Therefore, I have decided my desired course of action is a massive rewrite of _The City and The Ghost_, and four pages into chapter 1 of this new story, I am extremely happy with this choice.

This is not going to be a "I went back to fix typos and inconsistencies" kind of rewrite. There will be some massive changes to plot, form and character. What is thus far chapter 1 of this rewrite doesn't have a lot of similarities to the original. Even more importantly, it will invalidate SYOF completely, as the trajectory I set TCatG on to set up SYOF will no longer occur. It will follow more of the path of the original ending I had planned and then abandoned, though I think it will even stray from that.

I don't believe I will delete TCatG or SYOF because they represent something very important to me and something that I want to keep intact. I began writing TCatG in June 2011 and finished it exactly 365 days later. More importantly, I posted the first chapter of TCatG approximately nine years after my first fan fiction story was put online, at the age of 10. Writing this story reminded me of the absolute joy I found in writing as a child, and the joys of sharing my writing with such a wonderful community of like-minded people. I have built incredible relationships with fellow writers over the time I've been writing fan fiction, I have grown as a person and a writer and now I've turned this love of mine into a career (though writing reports and articles aren't quite the same as fan fiction). TCatG came after a long hiatus from writing. It also came at a point where I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life other than not go to law school like I originally planned. I am fairly certain that if I hadn't written it, I never would've gotten back into writing the way I did. I am extremely grateful that I found a story and characters that I loved enough to dedicate a year to, and I'm also extremely grateful for those of you who were there for that journey.

I hope those of you who are still around will check into this rewrite and keep me on my toes. The comments, criticisms and kind words of me readers inspire me to no end, and helpful feedback is worth its weight in gold. I am really super excited to be returning to writing and I can't wait to return to the incredibly fabulous and dysfunctional world of Delaney Caldwell.

See you all soon!


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